This was the last gig of the year, and it was a nice one, a little acoustic mini-session from Mpho in the River Island press office (really original location for a ‘secret venue’ – in your own-back-yard, simpliciaty at its best).  There were about 30 people there so it made for a really nice vibe.

The last time I saw Mpho she had a bit of a cold, so the performance while passionate, was not where she may have wanted it to be.  This time out, the vocal chords were working and the songs sounded nice.  Her cover of Running Up That Hill was the best I’ve heard her sing it, and if I block out certain bits of Box ‘n’ Locks I really liked it when played live and stripped down.  See Me Now, stood out as a thunderous record that really deserves more airplay.

The more I see Mpho, the more I fall in love with her because she seems like such a lovely soul… ya know just doing the music thang and really enjoying it.  She has a lot of time for her fans too which is always a blessing.

If all you’ve heard is Box ‘n’ Locks, you really need to check out her myspace, see her gig, Spotify maybe because she is so much more than that record (to be fair the song isn’t that bad, I’m just being an arse over it, the Remi Nicole-esque thing… anyways she always gonna get a million + one blys because she sung the hook on my favourite Ty record… “wait a minute we got some problems”).

The whole brands messing with music thing has given me another good showcase and it’s probably given River Island the opportunity to build some brand affinity (and given the PR team the chance to have a bit of fun) so it’s a win win all round.

Mpho’s presence has certainly enriched my gigging this year, long may it continue into 2010 and beyond.

Soulside Funk