Kingmaker
Tami Neilson
Regent Theatre
Thursday, November 17
REVIEW BY MARIAN POOLE
A near-capacity audience packed the Regent Theatre on Thursday evening to hear multiple award-winning Tami Neilson, backed by the Chamber Music New Zealand string quartet and band led by guitarist Bret Adams, belt out numbers from her latest pressing Kingmaker.
Neilson delivers her stunning collection of songs covering country rock and lyric idioms, with great strength.
Her stupendous voice and inspirational lyrics are accompanied by a fabulous range of costumes.
A crown should, she says, be an everyday accessory defining women as so much more than just the power behind the man.
As she says, it ain’t politics when it’s personal. A message best delivered and received with a hefty dose of belly laughs.
Her powerful delivery of Kingmaker opened the evening. Lines such as "I’ll stop begging for what’s already mine" stick in the mind.
The bluesy heat and saccharin coercion outlined in Green Peaches packs a similar punch.
The graunchy back beat of Ain’t My Job got the crowd pumping.
The Grudge’s deep sadness retelling the masochistic "feed that pain" made all the better with Zoe Moon’s beautifully earthy calls.
Careless Woman stomps out a message extolling women’s proper strengths and rights with the line "I wanna be her when I grow up".
The western drawl, whistle and click of Baby, You’re a Gun weaves a story of damage done well before the gun is fired.
The compulsive clapping rhythm and minimal banjo accompaniment of King of Country Music being the daughter not the son, brought out some inspirational moves from the dancers in the audience.
It was all topped off with an almost traditional powerful love song Cried Over You.
We are only too happy for Neilson to get above her station.
