Wests Leagues Club, Lambton
Wednesday June 5, 2013 :
It’s always a great treat when an internationally acclaimed performer comes to visit, and the current Oz tour presently under way from ‘80s and ’90s pop diva, Taylor Dayne, is by no means any exception to that rule.
Taylor Dayne’s touring band this time around is none other than the brilliant Doug Williams and the Mix. This super funky collection of musicians opened the show with a handful of groovy foot tapping covers to warm the crowd, firstly performed with the absence of Taylor Dayne. The band presented such all time classic pieces as ‘Summertime’ sung by the beautiful keys player Simone Wadell, and the Bill Withers masterpiece ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ played with a lay back jazzy groove by the band’s smooth playing guitarist. Doug Williams finished out their opening set with the James Brown tune ‘I Feel Good’, that left the crowd more than warmed up and ready for Taylor Dayne to take the stage. By all accounts it seemed to be a very creative way to do an elaborate sound check.
After a short break, Doug Williams and the Mix returned to the stage and this time with Taylor Dayne up front, stepping straight into the up tempo, feel good tune ‘With Every Beat Of My Heart’, from the 1989 best selling album, Can’t Fight Fate. It was instantly apparent that the years had not diminished her voice in the slightest. It was still as pitch-perfect as ever, hitting every one of those top end notes with the greatest of ease. The years of industry experience shone through as she made creative use of the whole stage. When it came to lowering the tempo of the evening, her love songs had a soulful, heart-felt delivery. A lively version of ‘I’ll Be Your Shelter’ combined with just the right amount of sexy body language, got things heated up. While belting out the obvious crowd favourite, Taylor headed out to dance and sing with her fans. A great one on one crowd connection was achieved with the adoring masses.
The beautifully written, ‘Born To Sing’, was sung with such meaningful purpose that the atmosphere seem to thicken in the air. Taylor Dayne poured it out with such passion and conviction that I was drawn into every line and believed every word that came from her lips. In contrast, her stage presence with rock/pop songs had genuine power and strength of character, which was showcased in Barry White’s, ‘Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love’.
To round off the evenings performance, a mesmerising rendition of ‘Love Will Lead You Back’ was sung to perfection leaving her fans with no doubt that even though the years may have passed, Taylor Dyane’s voice and stage presence is still as inspirational as it has ever been.
Reviewer: Terry Paull
Photographer: David Jackson
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