4 years running, and it just keeps getting better. Singapore International Jazz Festival 2017 concluded its opening night with a mesmerizing performance by two-time Grammy Award winner, Corrine Bailey Rae. She played to a packed event plaza at Marina Bay Sands. The night was hot, humid and, yet, the audience swayed and danced to her soulful beats without a care in the world.
Her soulful vocals and comforting melodies came together with a modest set-up. With a band no larger than three, she even picks up her guitar to get the groove going. Unforgettable was her energetic opening with Been To The Moon. An expected one, as she strutted onto stage in a metallic space suit reminiscent of her music video. She transported us to land of blues and classic soul, floating through her warm storytelling through melody.
I was surrounded by strangers, but we all felt like friends, hanging out in a circle listening and singing along. That sweet nectar of a voice croons the audience into a slow dance, raising their glasses to her timeless, inviting charm. Time became foreign.
In this fast moving world, where even music gets tuned out for a newer, catchier one, it is encouraging to see many jazzing to the perennial sound of Corrine Bailey Rae. There is no question as to how this spectacular artist has garnered so much love, and continues to stay so firmly afloat despite the everlasting tsunami of the industry. Sing Jazz 2017 could not have picked anyone better the round off the first night of the festivities.
