Yes, the guest of 1937 PRE-WAR KIMBALL is back touring the UK in her own right, and we see a welcome return to her classic sound with the new CD 'Back To Love'. Many of the songs on this CD were begun a while back, but due to Beth's recent health issues with a brain tumor, the songs could not be completed, until she came out of the operation and made a full recovery, and the block was lifted!!

I had the pleasure of seeing her in Treochy on February 18th and will be seeing her again on the last night of the tour in Bristol on MArch 8th. She was also on Weekend Wogan on Sunday, you can hear this on LISTEN AGAIN.

Her band was just her on guitar, bouzouki and keys, Marcus Hummon(guitars, keys) and Maartin Allcock(bass, guitars). In the current ACOUSTIC magazine there's an interview and you can read a breakdown of what gear's being used, which always interests me.

The set: MORE THAN LOVE/HALLELUJAH(not the Jeff Buckley/Leonard Cohen classic that was massacred on The X Factor, this is one of her own)/SAND AND WATER(a great extended version with additional piano breaks)/HAPPINESS/ALL I HAVE/HOW WE LOVE/I CAN SEE ME LOVING YOU/I NEED YOU LOVE/I'LL GIVE MY HEART(aka I'll Give My Love on a misprinted CD, this song sounded suspiciously like "As Long As He Needs Me" from the musical OLIVER! but what the hell!)/I FIND YOUR LOVE(wow!! From Calendar Girls)/SHAKE MY SOUL(from the movie "Where The Heart Is")/SHADOWS/BORN TO FLY(a hit she wrote for Sara Evans)/FREE/EVEN AS IT ALL GOES BY(vocals replaced the brass band break!)/THIS KISS(they were joined by a choir of young songwriters on stage which Beth had been teaching earlier that day . . . bit of a "Glee" moment as well, but good on them!) . . .

Encores: EMILY(amazing version, felt relevant)/THE PATH OF LOVE/HAPPY GIRL(she played harmonica on this as well, a bit of a nod to Dylan there!)

Marcus Hummon also opened the show with his own songs, he is a very talented award-winng singer/songwriter who also comes highly recommended. Now roll on Bristol!

Nick,

Thanks for the review. Sounds like a great show. I love her on 1937 PreWar Kimball. I also love her song, Sand & Water. I'm pretty sure she wrote it about her husband, who died. It's absolutely beautiful; but it makes me cry every time I hear it. By the way, Patti LuPone did a fantastic version of Sand & Water.

Sally

Thanks for the tip about the SAND AND WATER cover - I'll look it up!! Nice to meet you on here, Sally. Saw Beth again last night in Bristol on the last night of her tour - while technically with some timing, tuning and wrong-note issues not as perfect as Treorchy(but then all musicians make mistakes at times, and who am I to criticize!!), it was still a brilliant gig! SAND AND WATER was indeed written as a tribute to her late husband who died in 1993 and it is a very moving song indeed. The Bristol set was as follows, slightly different: MORE THAN LOVE/HALLELUJAH/SAND AND WATER/HAPPINESS/ALL I HAVE/HOW WE LOVE/I CAN SEE ME LOVING YOU/I NEED YOU LOVE/I'LL GIVE MY HEART/PEACE/SHAKE MY SOUL/SHADOWS/FREE/EVEN AS IT ALL GOES BY/THIS KISS//encores: THE PRINCE'S PANTIES(a Mason Williams cover exclusive to this show on the tour, the first song she learned on guitar and in deference to the glittery trousers she wore!!)/I yelled for this one and she played it. . . SEVEN SHADES OF BLUE(yay)/I FIND YOUR LOVE/THE PATH OF LOVE/HAPPY GIRL.

Thanks to the crew as well I also have a setlist which shows the capo positions and what key each song is in, what instrument is to be used and who plays what - Marcus Hummon, BNC and Maartin Alcock. Signed by Beth, who asked me afterwards had I been sneaking on stage? "No, the sound people I know from St Bonaventures!" I said. "Oh, I see, an inside move!' she laughed back. How sweet! Also have a signed poster. She seems to recognise me every time I go see her now.

Due to photo bans in many venues, I was unable to get some - also felt afterwards I might be too intrusive when she was chatting with fans so left her to it - and the two big security guards flanking her, quite frankly, I didn't want to argue with!! All in all, a superb evening!