When she refrains from flashing… her infectious smile. When she resists the urge to bare her ass… -ets in the shape of her trademark bare feet and taking them for a “pa de bah” into the audience to connect. When the compulsion to fist… the air with her expressive arms and reach for the stars in search of meaning and a full stop is curtailed. Carol Kidd M.B.E. – melodious bold entertainer – can still nail a song and hook an audience with the best of them.
None more so than in her interpretation of Fran Landesman’s haunting Ballad Of The Sad Young Men which, given the backdrop of shadow-boxing stragglers and pigeon-chested pack-men snaking their way home via Buchanan Street in Glasgow, was a more fitting if forensic festive song than her penultimate cockles-warmer Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
Accompanied by Brian Kellock on piano whom she frequently and deservedly lauded with compliments such as “the maestro”, “the one man orchestra” and when superlatives deserted her “him”, Carol Kidd entertained her faithful following with a selection of timeless ballads, show tunes and jazz standards – including her signature finale When I Dream – in a rare gig charged with two-way love and affection.
The first half being a crowd-pleasing medley which ranged from the ironic You Don’t Know Me to the iconic Skylark. Though the highlights, by far, were her two selections from Porgy And Bess: the devilish It Ain’t Necessarily So and the show-stopping I Loves You Porgy. The second half being a different ball-game altogether, mixing blues and breathy ballads such as Georgia and Embraceable You. Plus a couple of selections from her soon-to-be-released album Both Sides Now. In short, like her description of her audience: classy!
- REVIEW: Orphans @ Edinburgh King’s Theatre ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 13th April 2022
- REVIEW: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie @ Edinburgh Festival Theatre ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 30th March 2022
- REVIEW: Sheila’s Island @ Edinburgh King’s Theatre - 2nd March 2022
Who else in Scotland, but also taking in Britain, can do what Carol Kidd does, she is our national treasure—————–What a voice !!!!! What a night !!!!