After releasing her sixth studio album 11 Past The Hour, Imelda May hit the Royal Concert Hall for a beautiful and uplifting show...
In 2021 internationally renowned singer songwriter Imelda May released her sixth studio album 11 Past the Hour, her first album in four years following the release of Life Love Flesh Blood in 2017. The new album is full to the brim with beautiful lyrics crammed with emotion, sensuality, spirituality and intelligence.
Imelda’s style has developed over the years, and now embraces soul, gospel, blues, folk and rock, and the list of A-List star singers that have collaborated in recent times is huge, with the new album including contributions from the likes of Ronnie Wood and Noel Gallagher.
The one shame was the size of the crowd tonight. With not much more than 500 in the magnificent Royal Concert Hall, the top tier was closed and the stalls weren’t full. I don’t think it’s any comment on her popularity, but perhaps a still present nervousness for some to come out with Covid cases so high at the moment.
However, for those not there, they missed an absolute treat.
The set kicks off with 11 Past the Hour, title track of the latest album followed by Levitate and Black Tears from Life Love Flesh Blood, the latter being a beautiful, hauntingly sad track, delivered with such emotion. The lyrics intense portraying lost love so beautifully “Your kiss killed me on that night, as your lips left a bitter taste. And inside I'm dying, outside I'm crying black tears. How did it all go wrong, we seemed to have it all. But it's broken, and I'm running, and I'm scared”.
We’re treated to Just One Kiss, a song about love and passion, “Just one kiss, but what could come from this?” For fans of old-school Imelda, there were the old fan favourite in there too, with Big Bad Handsome Man, Johnny Got a Boom Boom and Mayhem, just as brilliantly delivered as ever.
The new album is full to the brim with beautiful lyrics crammed with emotion, sensuality, spirituality and intelligence.
On a night of great songs, two stood out to me the most. First up, a delightful rendition of Human a song about acknowledging our weaknesses, and that we’re not perfect, that we’re human, and about wanting to be someone’s human. The lyrics are so descriptive and it’s a wonderful acknowledgement of the frailty of us all
The second one was Don’t Let Me Stand On My Own. Written with Niall McNamee, who joined Imelda on stage with acoustic guitar to sing a duet. Niall is a great singer, and their tone works exceptionally well together. The song is delicate and beautiful in equal measure, as they sing about struggling with problems, but being there for each other through thick and thin.
The theme is of love and taking your chances in life, chasing a dream, and ultimately of being happy. However, as with Black Tears, the Track Should Have Been You from 2017’s Life Love Flesh Blood is another tale of lost love. Imelda’s lyrical ability to paint a picture is superb with lines such as “I'll never blame you and I always will, I can't explain it, but it hurts like hell. And I'm feeling so alone. Yeah, I'm lonely to the bone”.
This wasn’t a ‘best of’ show and I don’t recall any tracks from 2009’s No Turning Back or 2014’s Tribal. Having said that though, the two most recent albums are rock solid from start to finish, without a weak song on either, and it was an exceptional performance delivered with passion in her craft.
A beautiful performance showcasing Imelda’s immense talents so well. A wonderful, uplifting night.
Imelda May performed at The Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 5 April.
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