A little bit blues, a little bit soul; Natalie Duncan was the perfect bit of medicine I needed this week.  Her music was a blessing to the eardrums.  It was beautifully restrained, a fusion of styles subtlety interwoven to create soothing musical vistas.

Starting the set with, Devil In Me,  it really displayed her musicianship.  The short piano riff at the beginning was so perfectly formed it sounded like a clip from a lost Schumann sonata such was its musicality.  Sky is Falling also stood-out, the piano and vocals combining to create a sense of drama akin to an engrossing page-turning novel.

Her voice was never over-powering, it found the right place to settle on each record, allowing you to take everything in.  On occasion she would hit a note to remind you she has some powerful lungs, however these moments were few and far between.  Her arrangements were about building a piece of music which is much more than just a song.  This attention to detail made all the moments of both vocal exuberance and vocal restraint that more potent in their impact.  Natalie Duncan was quite simply a joy to listen to.  My one complaint would be her only having a half hour set to bewitch us with; I could have listened all evening.

The best thing about having Spotify Mobile is that I could listen to her one the way home too (thank you very much for unlimited data T-Mobile), and her CD is now at the top of my shopping list (although I’m not sure if you still even can buy CDs on the high-street any more… I digress).  Looking forward to hearing a lot more from Natalie Duncan; her delicate and engaging fusion of blues, jazz and soul is mature beyond her years and deserves your attention.

Rob