Lalah Hathaway: The Jazz Cafe
Lalah Hathaway opened her surprisingly first-ever solo performance in London at the perfect venue, Camden Town’s intimate Jazz Café, with two surprisingly up-tempo songs “If You Want To” and “Breath”.
Lalah serenaded the audience with tracks from her latest album “Where It All Begins” all the way back to her 1990 self-entitled debut album. Hathaway was ever in control of the rooms energy, from dinner dates in the upstairs balcony enjoying expensive bottles of champagne to zoned out jazz heads and young adults wanting to bask in the essence of the Hathaway legacy.
The Detroit born vocalist who adorned a royal blue wrap-dressed felt she had eased the London crowd in by the third song. She then she removed her shoes and began to scale the Jazz standard “Summer Time” with dizzying scatting, then humorously battled the off pitch audience back and forth.
Lalah’s Jazz vocal arrangements intertwined with the bass guitar effortlessly in a perfect vocal of Anita Bakers “Angle” flowing back into her own music in a sensual rendition of “Small Of My Back”, followed by a discussion for one, about relationships to the couple filled audience.
The British based band then led itself into an extended intro of “Something” which instantly had the audience two-stepping in unison before Lalah had a chance to breath a note.
After an upbeat encore of “Street Life” Lalah exited the stage leaving the audience wanting more and screaming for their favorite tracks as she promised it wouldn’t be another 20 before she sang in London again.
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