May 13, 2021

Concert Review: Julia Walker – The Wine Cellar May 12, 2021

There just seems to be an abundance of talented young musicians continually appearing across the country. This may be New Zealand Music Month but it could easily be every month. Julia Walker is the headline act at the Wine Cellar tonight with a brand-new single just released. But she has invited two other new acts who raise the temperature of the room as the polar wind blows over town.

The 1020’s start the night with some vintage Seventies Soul. You Got Me Sticking Out On a Monday. Ofisa Sakaria sings this and the next one which marries some Rap with the smooth vocals. Has the build and a little of the velvety voice of a Luther Vandross

Rest of the five-piece. Ben Frisby, Ben Walker, Jonathan D’Sousa and Estella Romagnoli. They all swap instruments and take turns leading the songs throughout their nine-song set.

Change around for Estella who does a couple of up-beat Folk Pop numbers after taking up the acoustic guitar. Reflections is a song about hurt but with an uplifting Pop rhythm.

On the next she sings Why Do I Do This To Myself? But with a Taylor Swift attitude in her vocals, and charges off into dance territory.

More Blue-Eyed Soul, this time from D’Sousa on a couple of torch songs. There are Jazz and R’n’B touches on electric guitar.

The drummer gets to sing too on an R‘n’B number with the guitar extending out on some Space Funk note-bending.

Finish in similar funky rhythm fashion with Boss Called Me at Work Today, which is as funny as the title suggests.

Have only been together a short time. All their own songs. As familiar as the American Top Forty from the Sixties and Seventies.

Jenna Jones has been playing a little longer. The band around her tonight is The Billys, with a rhythm section she is sharing with Julie. That is Jack Mensah drums and Hon Manawangphiphat bass. Campbell Mackenzie and George Manning round it out on keyboards and guitar.

These are all Jenna’s songs bar one. She has a strong and powerful Pop voice and is able to belt it out and sustain in the higher register.

I thought she may have a trained voice, but no, she is a natural. Told by her parents at an early age not to seek teaching so as not to spoil her natural ability.

She tells us she is a bit hoarse and possibly nervous but it doesn’t show in her set and she has the biggest voice of the evening.

You Already Know and Can We Do This Again are energetic Power Pop numbers with lots of little hooks and changes of tempo thrown in to keep it all danceable.

Cheesy What’s It is an odd title for a slower more Folk sounding number. There is a little of the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter sound here. Then she can let go with some nice high sustained vocals to belt it into Pop territory.

When You Go is similar. Folk which gets louder with some witching going on. Think Mama Cass singing with Stevie Nicks.

Great support from the band and she comes across as a practiced natural performer with classy original songs.

Julia Walker also has a confident stage manner which belies the fact she is also a just-emerging artist. A Pop artist with a generally smooth, mid-range vocal tone. She can be quieter and more mood oriented. She can raise the temperature with some rhythmic dance kick and get a bit soulful.

Leave Me Be has the band lock into a Sixties Motown R’n’B groove whilst the voice has that similar Pop cadence of those classic female leads.

The band really do cook tonight. The rhythm section as mentioned above. Jackson Wilcox keyboards and Jonatan Meyer guitar.

There is a nice Sixties feel to Hot Coffee. Breathy vocals with a bit of Jazz phrasing. A slow burn going to a scorch. Reprised for an encore.

Then 180 Days drops into Country Americana with just an acoustic guitar and a stark vocal. With this quieter number she can also get up and sustain beautifully in the higher register.

Pivots completely again with Things I Mean. Heavy bass rumble and a Disco backbeat. James Brown style chanks guitar rhythm riffs. They work this up into a great dance floor number.

Keep the groove with added Funk on Better Self.

More and Runaway, the two released singles are well-crafted Pop songs. Both are given added power and dance energy in the perfect small venue setting.

Young musicians. Music as familiar as a favourite jacket. Yet fresh and energetic. Most remarkable is the quality of the original song-writing. I am sure I will see all three again soon. You should too.

Rev Orange Peel