By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa
Live Review: Joss Stone and Corrine Bailey Rae at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Tampa, Florida – January 26, 2022
Here we are in 2022, which could be called “Year 2020 Redux”. A few shows Rock At Night intended to cover were cancelled due to COVID, as the certainty of concerts has been in a state of flux. So when award-winning Brit blues and soul artists Joss Stone and Corrine Bailey Rae appeared at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida, it was with great gratitude.
Grammy and Brit Award-winning Joss Stone, who now makes her home in Nashville, stepped out on stage in a long satin gold dress, and perfectly coiffed platinum hair, to treat the fans to an evening of blues, reggae, and soul. The audience, which appeared to be rabid Joss Stone fans by the show of t-shirts and standing ovations, were in for a 90-minute treat. Chatting between songs with cheeky quips and a bit of saltiness, the gifted singer treated the audience to her near perfect soul voice (I kept thinking “this is Bridget Jones singing like Aretha Franklin) with blues favorites like “Big Ol’ Game” and even her latest “Never Forget My Love”.
Stopping briefly to pour a cup of tea, she beamed with gratitude to be performing and paid homage to healthcare workers saying, “We call our healthcare workers heroes in the UK. We stand up for each other. It’s beautiful.” She began singing, “Walk With Me”, a single released in 2020.
Stone entertained the audience with reggae songs like “Love Me”, played the acoustic guitar for “Landlord”, and went into the audience while singing “Super Duper Love”. She performed a medley of hits from the 60s soul hits like “(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People”, “Let’s Stay Together”, and “It’s Your Thing”. Stone left the stage and people stood cheering and whistling for an encore–and she delivered with “Right to be Wrong”.
After a 30-minute intermission, Grammy and Brit Award-winning Corrine Bailey Rae, hit the stage wearing a sequined copper-toned dress with a trio of musicians backing her. Fans were treated to her jazzy blues as she played acoustic guitar and performed songs like “Breathless”. Other treats for the evening included “Been to the Moon” and “Like a Star”. Bailey Rae showed much gratitude to the audience saying, “It’s been a pleasure being on the road again” and performed “Is This Love?”
Overall, the evening could be summed up to “blues and love”—the gift of blues to the audience and gratitude for us to be hearing two talented performers on a cold January evening.
PHOTO GALLERY
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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