Georgia Cécile @ The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 28 Feb
Despite a lack of engagement from the crowd at times, Georgia Cécile manages to cultivate an inviting atmosphere at The Queen's Hall
Georgia Cécile quite literally sparkles on the stage. Alongside her six-piece band and two dazzling vocalists, the ensemble work with high energy and uniformity. Cécile and her vocalists perform choregraphed movements, while a spotlight highlights solos throughout the night; the show is intricately staged, and her grand opening number sings to the audience to ‘leave your worries at the door’, establishing a vivacious spirit. Cécile sustains this immersive dialogue with the audience, explaining the sentiment behind each song and cultivating an inviting atmosphere.
Her big and soulful numbers like Communion and Heavenly Affair channel the ‘feeling and energy of big city life’ that her latest EP City Girl emulates. This energy characterises Cécile’s stage presence and adoption of soul jazz elements, and during the show, she notes Les McCann as a great influence. Where Cécile encourages the audience’s rhythmic participation with these upbeat tunes, members are not totally responsive. The lack of engagement awkwardly detracts from the synergy that Cécile attempts to kindle between us and her, but which is highly evident between her and her band.
Image: Georgia Cécile @ The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 28 Feb by Stuart Stott
It is mostly during her quieter, more sincere moments that Cécile feels and sounds more natural to her timbre. She performs a lovely rendition of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman’s My One and Only Love, which absorbs the room, as with her performance of her own You Don’t Notice where she exhibits her softer, brooding tone which charms the audience. It is not unfair to say that these slower numbers spark a resonance that her more embellished, entertaining pieces lack, particularly because there is room for less structure and more improvisation.
Cécile closes the night with a tribute to the late Roberta Flack, and sings The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, which she professes is her mother’s personal favourite. This takes form in a duet between Cécile and her captivating pianist Euan Stevenson. Here, that once vibrant atmosphere reshapes into a moment of necessary tenderness, and the duet synthesises Cécile’s best attributes; her heartfeltness and control.