Marshall arts slays the songs

Tuesday, May 6, 1997

Marshall art slays the songs

Display of vocal fireworks thrills sold-out Jubilee

crowd

By MIKE ROSS

Express Writer

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If they gave awards for being a show-off, Amanda Marshall would clean up.

Well, actually, they do - Celine Dion took them all last year. But rest assured, Marshall's turn is coming.

She's certainly got what it takes: Like Celine, the songs Marshall picks are less important than the way she slams them into the ground with her unbelievably huge voice - which was proved by her jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring power at the sold-out Jubilee Auditorium last night. With 2,700 fans cheering her on, Marshall absolutely killed those poor tunes.

After a little opening medley of sounds and songs from the '60s, the curtain dropped and the 24-year-old firebrand bounded onto the stage like the flyweight champion of the world to wail Fall From Grace, from her self-titled debut album. The crowd loved it. Backed by a competent yet somewhat generic rock band, Let's Get Lost followed, an otherwise bland song elevated to epic heights by bombast alone.

And she was just getting warmed up.

It doesn't matter what tune Marshall sings, or what they're supposed to mean. Why segue from Tina Turner's Can't Stand the Rain into Marshall's breakthrough hit, Let it Rain? There's nopoint - it was just a clever play on words, with the benighted songs being the sacrificial goats, so to speak. Marshall made every song into a dramatic production, riffing relentlessly to the extremes of range and power at every opportunity. I was afraid she might pop a vein, so over-the-top were her histrionics, especially in songs like Closer to the Ground, where Marshall sang circles around herself (now that's a good singer) during a jazz-like improv bit.

Here is a woman who does not know the meaning of the word subtlety.

To be fair, it was a rock 'n' roll show.

And some songs survived Marshall's killer voice. Last Exit to Eden, which featured Marshall picking out a few notes on guitar, emerged relatively whole. And Jimi Hendrix's Castles in the Sand turned out to be a stirring, inspired rendition, despite the fact Marshall pulled out all the vocal stops - a scary thing indeed - and thrashed around like she was having a seizure. Yikes!

The Janis Joplin comparison Marshall's been dogged with ever since Jeff Healey "discovered" her is right on the money. She's actually more like a sanitized Janis - all the chops, intensity and raw talent, but with none of the pain or soul.

Opening act Chantal Kreviazuk is the antidote to Marshall's mindless vocal fireworks.

Accompanying herself on grand piano, the Winnipeg performer demonstrated an equally brilliant voice - but one which she put fully to the service of sensitive and moving original songs.

And that's far more important than showing off for its own sake.


	Tuesday, May 6, 1997 Marshall art slays the songs Display of vocal fireworks thrills sold-out Jubilee crowd By MIKE ROSS Express Writer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If they gave awards for being a show-off, Amanda Marshall would clean up. Well, actually, they do - Celine Dion took them all last year. But rest assured, Marshall's turn is coming. She's certainly got what it takes: Like Celine, the songs Marshall picks are less important than the way she slams them into the ground with her unbelievably huge voice - which was proved by her jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring power at the sold-out Jubilee Auditorium last night. With 2,700 fans cheering her on, Marshall absolutely killed those poor tunes. After a little opening medley of sounds and songs from the '60s, the curtain dropped and the 24-year-old firebrand bounded onto the stage like the flyweight champion of the world to wail Fall From Grace, from her self-titled debut album. The crowd loved it. Backed by a competent yet somewhat generic rock band, Let's Get Lost followed, an otherwise bland song elevated to epic heights by bombast alone. And she was just getting warmed up. It doesn't matter what tune Marshall sings, or what they're supposed to mean. Why segue from Tina Turner's Can't Stand the Rain into Marshall's breakthrough hit, Let it Rain? There's nopoint - it was just a clever play on words, with the benighted songs being the sacrificial goats, so to speak. Marshall made every song into a dramatic production, riffing relentlessly to the extremes of range and power at every opportunity. I was afraid she might pop a vein, so over-the-top were her histrionics, especially in songs like Closer to the Ground, where Marshall sang circles around herself (now that's a good singer) during a jazz-like improv bit. Here is a woman who does not know the meaning of the word subtlety. To be fair, it was a rock 'n' roll show. And some songs survived Marshall's killer voice. Last Exit to Eden, which featured Marshall picking out a few notes on guitar, emerged relatively whole. And Jimi Hendrix's Castles in the Sand turned out to be a stirring, inspired rendition, despite the fact Marshall pulled out all the vocal stops - a scary thing indeed - and thrashed around like she was having a seizure. Yikes! The Janis Joplin comparison Marshall's been dogged with ever since Jeff Healey "discovered" her is right on the money. She's actually more like a sanitized Janis - all the chops, intensity and raw talent, but with none of the pain or soul. Opening act Chantal Kreviazuk is the antidote to Marshall's mindless vocal fireworks. Accompanying herself on grand piano, the Winnipeg performer demonstrated an equally brilliant voice - but one which she put fully to the service of sensitive and moving original songs. And that's far more important than showing off for its own sake.