Ali McGregor – Something Old, Something New
Ali McGregor (with Matthew Carey, Alana Dawes, and Barnabas Smith) @ The Spiegeltent
3:30pm, Sat 19 Feb 2011
Ali McGregor’s always been good to me; she’s always brought immensely enjoyable shows to the Fringe, and – to be honest – I felt like I needed that surety of a great musical act.
And, once again, she did not disappoint.
With Matthew Carey on piano, the gorgeous Alana Dawes on bass, and Barnabas Smith on drums, Ali soared through a set of jazz and blues influenced songs, both old and new. And whilst songs like La Isla Bonita were merely slightly jazzified and performed relatively straight, other songs – like Oops!… I Did It Again, with its falsetto dropping straight to a gravelly growl, and the operatic snatch in I Was Made for Lovin’ You – really showcased Ali’s amazing range.
I’d be lying if I said that everything worked, though – Tainted Love would have benefitted from some sparser instrumentation, and a chance to breath. But if that’s the price I have to pay for the brilliant lounge-cabaret mash-up of Fly Me To The Moon with a double-time I Will Survive, then that’s just fine by me.
Now – I’m no jazz fiend or opera junkie, but I love Ali’s voice… and stage presence. Constantly joking with the crowd, her demeanour is nothing short of charming – and that’s another reason I’ll keep coming back to Ali’s shows. Gorgeous sounds from a gorgeous woman – what’s not to love?