SOUL FOOD REVIEWS
Soulfood – 16th August 2011
This week's open mic was a big one! Plantation was thriving, with almost every seat filled and groups of anticipating music junkies loitering at the bar.
The venue was a-buzz with the chatter and laughter of a young and vibrant crowd as large groups of friends huddled around tables.
Following tradition, Bristol's weekly soul and R&B jam session 'Soulfood' - hosted by Jay Wilcox - opened with main-man Jay, warming up the crowd with some mellow, soulful harmonies. Accompanying him was charismatic local legend Reginald Chambers on drums, as always, dressed the part in a crisp white shirt, leopard print waistcoat and adorned with a glinting medallion and pair of spectacles.
The first star of the night was regular 'Soulfood' performer Natasha... a sassy soul songstress who grabbed the attention of the audience with a powerful, passion-filled performance of classics 'It's too late to Apologize' and a jazzy cover of Kings of Leon's 'Your Sex is on Fire'. She finished with the song that stole the show – En-Vogue's 90s anthem 'Don't Let Go' - which won overwhelming applause and cheers of appreciation from the audience.
Contrasting Natasha's fervid performance with his smooth and soothing cover of 'Joy' by Blackstreet, Cobra Williams took the hot seat at the mic at 10pm, supported by backing vocals from Jay.
By this time Plantation was packed and there was not an empty seat in the house.
Next up was Lidell Gueredrat – a petite, pretty French girl with bright sparkling eyes who enchanted the audience with her unusual combination of modesty, sophistication and that rarely found star quality. She swept the audience away with rich, sensual vocals and her naturally captivating stage presence.
Sadly this was Lidell's final UK performance as she takes her charm and talent back across the channel to France.
Resident musicians followed up with a playful, off-the-cuff, improvised jam of funky synth, drums and bass.
At 11pm, hot new talent to hit the Bristol scene - Krantz and Miss Blackman took to the stage. They stunned the crowd with their fresh unique fusion of bold, emotive rap, accompanied by guitar and beat-boxing. Vocalist Miss Blackman's attention-grabbing spirit seduced the audience. This duo is truly one of a kind, and you can expect to be seeing a lot more of their savvy skilfull sounds about town as they're soon to release a debut single.
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