“Kate Finkelstein’s soaringly entertaining concert show starring Tori Amos’ songs and Kate’s own musical skills and ideas is a rare smart, creative sequel, rather than a note-and-vocal ‘perfect’ carbon copy or re-staging: you bet your life it is (‘it’ being both show and performer). And succeeds in creating her own version of the famous redhead’s sound, vocal and piano (and funnies) feelings world, spell and atmosphere (Finkelstein’s own song ‘Waterfall’, not part of the show, shares the Amos/Bush clear, creative piano intro and crisp story-telling atmosphere). The Tori Tales song catalogue, sensual, strong and personal, ranges from the straight forward pop (yes, she does do that), to the slightly loopy, deeply thought through stuff that enchanted fans desperate for decoding and origins in the years before social media (yup, such a time existed). And Finkelstein, rather than standing at distance admiring the songs as untouchable pieces of museum art, treats them as a chance to flex her own quality singer/songwriter skills: bouncily dancing and playing with them, keeping ‘Stralyia not ‘United’ States in saying the lyrics, armed with her own keyboard ‘Mo’, some simple and catchy background graphics, and a sense of fun and wit. Hand-picked (and picked out of) from the range of fan favourites, chart hits and some obscure personal favourites across an entire career. Those “things” included: sharply clever multi-multi-song medley mixes. A soaring warm Winter (written for her father), a wonderfully spine-tingling Cloud on my Tongue, and a pal-looking-on telling of Jackie’s Strength (that ode to Mrs Kennedy mixed with Ms Amos’ wedding nerves). Don’t forget (you won’t) an ingenious slicing of the “out-there” love tangle Hey Jupiter (“For a girl that couldn’t choose/ between the shower or the bath..”) with 1000 Oceans’ straight forward love declarations (“… and I would cry a thousand more/ If that’s what it takes/ To sail you home…”). 

Review – @ChuckMoorReviewsAbout.