Beaux Saunders
www.myspace.com/beauxsaunders
Pop/Soul/Jazz
On the first evening of December, snow fell in an Arctic blow outside the intimate venue of The Hideaway, shimmering with an array of music discoveries in North-East London. After the sombre relationship woes of Kal Lavelle accompanied by strumming guitar, and the reedy, folk tones of Matt Witt, the settled crowd sat anticipating an uplifting sound to fully energise the evening. Dressed all in black, a young lady of 20 with long blonde locks and rosy red lips sat intently behind a keyboard in the spotlight, poised and willing to showcase her talent. As the first inviting chords of 'Backbone' came into play, what followed was a quality smooth vocal that eased us to attentiveness. Instantly her voice had a distinctive quality that harked back to the sultry jazz singers of the 50's and if likened to a chocolate it would easily be Galaxy, a soul fuelled sound that melts you into an immediate state of acquiescence. Self penned tracks 'Check Mate', 'Somebody' and 'Worth The Fight' are well received by an applauding audience, followed by a short pause to thank the fellow musicians for joining her 'Takeover Night'. To conclude an enjoyable first half to the longest set of her career so far, came an unexpected cover of R. Kelly's 2005 number one smash 'Ignition', suddenly recognised by modern pop fans in the room. Vocally, the cover is sung with the appropriate soulful rolls, though Beaux manages to truly make it her own by taking the alternative acoustic approach. The song choice managed to prove that sometimes the best cover versions are those performed by artists of contrasting genres, with the capabilities of providing a totally different spin on a song's original form. An occasional joke and honest tale from the confident songstress succeeds in keeping the audience intrigued throughout the full forty minutes of the set. The track 'I'm Not Leaving You' follows swiftly, infused with emotive, heartfelt lyrics that suggest Beaux's song writing is crafted with an expression of real, personal emotion. Her songs uncover what you expect every girl at the tender age of twenty-three to be to troubled by, their hopes, troubles and wishes. It becomes clear that the earlier half of her set is filled with songs of emotional catharsis, whilst the latter half convey happier times of rising above her bothering thoughts. 'Holding The Gun', which she confesses was written about a friend's boyfriend who acted like an 'utter arsehole', is a stand out lyrical moment that possesses the commercial appeal to be a potential future single. The track is performed with the passion and class of an artist who appears to display far more experience than the novice she secretly is. A final two songs, 'All The Delights' and 'I Love Paris' are complimented by Hubie Davison (son of Chris De Burgh) on guitar, as Beaux sits high on a stool for all to see. After winning over the room with a delightful set of ten crowd pleaser's, a few unprecedented heckles from fans wanting more edges Beaux to return to the keyboard once again, for a cover of Ed Harcourt song 'Apple of My Eye'. With the evening brought to a wonderful close, the audience applaud joyfully for the singer-songwriter who shows hopeful signs of progressing much further in the music industry.
Beaux oozes a confident stage presence that is essential for handling the hard gigging life of ups and downs, and the fact she phoned in a couple of pals to replace snow bound singer-songwriter David Gibbs, shows venues she is as artist they can gratefully rely on. A strong backing band is sure to help her performances blossom further on bigger stages to come. An ideal step for the young starlet's future would be a lucrative spot on Jools Holland's Later show, which would provide the kick start to a singing career she truly deserves. Other foreseeable opportunities would be probable TV advert sync deals (M&S, John Lewis etc) that would be greatly complimented by Beaux Saunders' appealing feel-good sound. Those present at The Hideaway were lucky enough to attend Beaux's last gig of 2010, but she returns with a few performances early in the new year to win over yet more fans with her enchanting musical abilities.
