Live

Errol Linton: Jazz Cafe, London 13/6/21

For the fourth time in just over a week I was lucky to venture into the Jazz Cafe in North London, one of the few major music venues in the capitals that we're able to get shows underway as lockdown eased.

With hospitality finally allowed to reopen after a miserable few months, bosses managed to put together a series of shows celebrating the diverse music the UK has to offer.

International travel may be off the agenda for a while, but it's given artists on these shores a chance to shine, and few deserve that more than Errol Linton.

Incredibly he's been plugging away for more than three decades, and his recent work is testimony to the power of sticking with it, with last year's "No Entry" well received.

Having earned his stripes as a busker, Linton's prowess as a blues singer is unquestioned, and he is accompanied by an airtight band that skip between genres with ease.

The South Londoner is widely regarded as one of the country's top blues singers, but over the - course of his two-part set, he's able to demonstrate a versatility that many would envy.

Perhaps most surprising is his ability to incorporate reggae elements into his performance, with "Brixton Rush Hour Boogaloo" from his latest long-player among the highlights of the set.
As you'd expect from a blues singer, he can draw huge emotion into his singing, sounding both joyful and torn apart with pain, and kept the audience with him throughout.

Linton is an impressive harmonica player, leading the musicians through a lengthy catalogue of tracks and switching with ease to a strong vocal performance.
"No Entry Blues" from his latest long-player was played with style, while "Sad & Lonesome" delivered on the title.

Linton may not have huge commercial success to his name, but there's no shortage of talent there and the applause from an appreciative audience at the end of his show bore testimony to an assured live performer.
Words Dave Burke