Naturally 7 with Chloe Charles at the Howard Assembly Room, 18th March 2014 reviewed by Sam Stewart …
Canadian singer/songwriter Chloe Charles was first to take the stage, accompanied by Davide Santi (violin) and Callum Jennings (piano). Soon on a snowflake from her 2010 album Little Green Bud, was thoughtfully arranged and stood out in a set that transported the audience to the Canadian wilderness.
Naturally 7 are a vocal group that perform a cappella (entirely without instrumental accompaniment). They sing and use “vocal play” (a term invented by the group’s director Roger Thomas) to mimic a huge variety of instruments, from the ocarina to drum kit and everything in between.
Opening with “I Keep My Customers Satisfied” they gradually entered the stage, appearing as their musical parts began. Warren Thomas’ drum kit beatboxing was phenomenal. Each performer mimed the instrument that they vocally reproduced, adding a great visual element to the show.
There were a few moments where the vocal harmonies were slightly out of tune, presumably due to problems with the sound on stage. These were resolved during the second number, the Isley Brothers Summer Breeze, where Armand “Hops” Hutton stole the show with an unbelievably realistic bass guitar sound. Rod Eldridge then took his position at the loop station, creating the back beat one layer at a time before the rest of the group joined in for Boom Bap Boom, an R&B romp with beautiful uplifting backing harmonies and a “trumpet” solo that Miles Davies would have been proud of.
A nod to the origins of gospel came next with the spiritual The Battle of Jericho. Hiphop and gospel styles combined to great effect here. Then Napoleon “Polo” Cummings created a remarkable electric guitar solo and the rest of the group produced some luscious, warm harmony singing in Wall of Sound. I wasn’t expecting to hear rock music tonight but showing their virtuosity they performed the Cream classic, Sunshine of your Love. The sound of a full rock band was flawlessly reproduced using only the human voice.
This was followed with Say You Love Me! an R&B hymn with lead vocals from Dwight Stewart. His impassioned singing was almost enough to inspire a religious conversion!
These guys have great stamina, each one of them singing constantly as they represent the various instruments and take turns to sing lead vocals. They got chance to take a well earned rest as each singer performed a short solo set-piece. Garfield Buckley stood out here with his harmonica solo.
Then they were quickly back to full throttle, with a medley based on Sting’s An Englishman in New York, including moments from Air on a G String and Empire State of Mind. This segued into Bob Marley’s One Love. Then came my favourite part of the show: The Herbie Hancock medley which showed these great musicians reworking great music and having a fabulous time doing it. After which, they turned off the microphones and with the help of the marvellous acoustics in the Howard Assembly Room, they performed a Simon and Garfunkel medley. The audience was spellbound.
Naturally 7 chose to finish the last of their UK shows with music by UK artists Coldplay and Phil Collins. They brought an emotional intensity to these songs that lifted them above their original versions and the audience gave them a well deserved standing ovation.
Naturally 7 excel in extended vocal techniques, the joy they have in performing and their spectacular musicianship left the audience with warm hearts and uplifted souls by the end of the evening. Don’t miss them when they next return to the UK!