This isn’t normally the sort of thing I get to review on this site. Usually I am surrounded by piles of CDs from European dream-pop explorers or West Coast alt-country bands. But music comes in many forms from the highly promoted and studio polished artists forging a professional career to those just starting out and it would be hypocritical of me to spend all this time writing about bands with a decade of experience behind them without acknowledging where it all begins. And it normally begins with a young kid, hair brush in hand, singing and dancing in front of the mirror at home with a song in their heart and a dream in their head.
Addy C is a bit beyond that, she is out there performing and anyway you look at it, that makes her the equal to any other live performer no matter how big. Treading the boards is what it all comes down to. And whilst I can’t really talk about her in the same way as those releasing slickly produced original albums, the one thing we can talk about is potential.
And the potential of this girl is obvious. At 8 years old singing and dancing live on a stage of a size many of the indie I get to write about would kill to step on to, full of confidence and charm…how can you not love that? And vocally, considering that her voice is yet to undergo many changes and developments, she not only has a great delivery, but great control. Power and other techniques can be learnt over time, but what she has right are the fundamentals, the basics, the things that you can’t teach, the base upon which everything else will be built. Add to that confidence, grace and charm and you get the impression that Addy C can take these initial steps and head out in any creative direction she wants.
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is a brave song to choose, The Shirelles are a tough act to follow and there is a wonderful subtext here, the song marked the first all-girl group to have a number one in the US and the video arrived in my in-box on International Women’s Day. If I were a superstitious person I would say that the portents are all there for a successful solo career. You go girl!
