At the Rye International Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday, August 27, Roachford bounded onto the stage in Saint Mary’s church, bent to the microphone and invested the single syllable “Rye!” with such warmth and energy that the audience just knew that it was going to be a brilliant night of music-making.
The singer has a long history as a performer (and an MBE for services to music) both with his own band – which was formed in 1987 – and later with Mike and the Mechanics. Roachford’s first solo album was Heart of the Matter in 2003 and more recently he collaborated with Beverley Knight on a joint album Twice in a Lifetime, released in September 2020.
He had, therefore, a wealth of song material to choose from, and we were treated, amongst others, to High on Love from the new album, The Way I Feel, from Feel (1997) and classics such as Ain’t no Sunshine from Encore (2016).
Roachford himself identified the themes common to his songs in commenting on performing in such a beautiful church: “thank God most of my songs are appropriate: I sing about love and happiness and unity – so we’re okay.” Being in such a place, he suggested, made him want to “amp up the soul”, which he certainly did.
By the end, everyone was on their feet, taken over by the sparkle and sheer likeability of this accomplished singer. Amongst so much that was memorable on this occasion, surely many will not forget the impromptu rendition of Amazing Grace Roachford gave: wonderful entertainment.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .