Alice Russell

Work-wise, it’s not been a bad year for Brighton soul star Alice Russell: Two US tours, a Glastonbury performance streamed live across the BBC, and an invitation from Jimmy Kimmel to come to LA to perform on his show. Oh, and Harry Shearer – the voice of Mr Burns on The Simpsons – dressed up as Alice for her Heartbreaker video. Alice is going global – and after more than ten years, it’s about time, her fans would say. Nice then, for her final live show of 2013 to be to a packed hometown show. Alice’s huge voice never fails to impress, and live on stage the rapport between her band (including long-time collaborator TM Juke and musical-multi-tasking giant Mike Simmonds) and the crowd transformed the gig into a big old family party. It’s not often that an artist draws their set-list almost entirely from their most recent recording (To Dust on Tru Thoughts). It’s a testament to its quality, proving that Alice is producing her best material yet.

The Coalition, 29 November 2013

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