| Toronto Sun | LENNOX'S T.O. RETURN LONG OVERDUE -- Toronto fans of Annie Lennox have waited a long time for the big-voiced soul-pop diva to perform live. Would you believe her last real concert here was way back in 1989 at the SkyDome when she was still with Dave Stewart in the '80s synth-dance duo Eurythmics? Sure, she returned in 1995 for a solo Intimate & Interactive special at MuchMusic, in support of her covers album, Medusa. (And she reminded us last night that she got "stuck in a lift for 45 minutes" afterward as she tried to get to a party at her record label's offices across the street.)
But that wasn't an event really open to the general public. So it was last night that an enthusiastic audience of 1,600 quickly snapped up tickets for Lennox's stop at the Toronto Centre For The Arts -- previously The Ford Centre In North York -- which was part of her first solo tour ever. There was extra excitement in the air as the hour-and-35-minute performance was being filmed for a DVD, with at least four camera operators on the stage and in the aisles, and such eye and ear candy as dramatic lighting and crisp sound. (Sadly, it meant The Sun was unable to shoot a picture of Lennox, who's still a stunner at age 48, with her trademark short, blond hair and slim build.) But, boy, did she ever make up for lost time. After a tentative start with Money Can't Buy It and Legend In My Living Room, both from her 1992 solo debut, Diva, Lennox came out swinging by the third song, Little Bird.
That unmistakable voice, which she later told the audience she had lost earlier in the day while she stayed inside in her hotel room during yesterday's ice storm, came thundering out of that tiny body. "I was very glad that I was able to sing for you tonight," she said after thanking the doctor who took care of her. The crowd, prone to standing ovations as it was, could barely contain itself. Thankfully, too, Lennox got rid of her leather coat, scarf and sunglasses, which seemed strange for a woman whose new album is called Bare. (It doesn't hit stores until June 10.) Underneath, she was decked out in a rust-coloured sequined top and stretchy black pants that allowed her to move and sing so much better.
Once Lennox found her groove on other early song standouts like No More "I Love You's," Walking On Broken Glass and the devastatingly beautiful Cold, she never looked back. Even newer songs from Bare, like the pretty 1,000 Beautiful Things, the soulful Pavement Cracks and the R&B-flavoured Wonderful were well received by the audience. Lennox also mixed up the arrangements a bit, backed by five musicians and three female backup singers.
The first half of the concert felt a lot more formal than the loose and lively second half when she returned to the stage to play the piano for a ballad rendition of the Eurythmics hit Here Comes The Rain Again. And when she and her backup singers ripped through gospel-like versions of Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves and Would I Lie To You, it suddenly felt like we were all in church. By the time Lennox masterfully covered Neil Young's Don't Let It Bring You Down, also from Medusa, and favoured us with such encore treats as Sweet Dreams and Why, she had us in the palm of her hand. My advice would be: Next time, don't wait so long to return." (J. Stevenson, Toronto Sun) |
| The Globe and Mail | "THE GOOD MATERIAL GIRL -- On Friday, Annie Lennox came to Toronto for the same reason many celebrities do: to make a movie. Ostensibly, the former Eurythmics singer's appearance at the Toronto Centre for the Arts Friday was just another stop on her first-ever solo tour, convened to celebrate the imminent arrival of Bare (due in June), her first album in eight years. But there were signs in the lobby advising patrons that the event was being filmed, and even warning of a break in the show so the cameras could change film and Lennox could freshen her makeup.
It sounds terribly show-biz, yet the most striking thing about the performance was how straightforward everything was. The stage set and lighting were minimal, while the costuming offered barely a hint of the outrageous glamour Lennox was famous for in the 1980s and early 90s. Nor was there anything especially showy about the singing. Despite her classical training and reputation for vocal bravura, Lennox resolutely refused to show off. Some of that may have been due to vocal problems -- at one point she thanked "the sweet doctor who gave me lots of medication so I would be able to sing tonight" -- but mostly it reflected that, these days, her performance is as much about articulating a character's persona as delivering a song's melody.
That was particularly evident in the new material. Pavement Cracks, for instance, opened with the stick-thin Scot singing of grey skies and loneliness over drear, minor-key accompaniment. When the beat kicked in, her sadness was suddenly transformed into acceptance and determination. Though the lyrics complained, "I'm going nowhere/ And I'm 10 steps back," there was nothing in her singing that sounded even slightly defeated. But melancholy was also a big crowd-pleaser, as evinced by the cheers that greeted the opening "babadaba dipdip dip" of No More I Love You's, and Lennox played to that taste like a pro.
It helped that she had such appropriate material. Even in its original, synth-powered arrangement, the Eurythmics chestnut Here Comes the Rain Again seemed ineffably sad, but Lennox's concert version -- performed with the singer at the piano, with only a splash of synthesized strings behind her -- eliminated the stylish hauteur of the original and distilled the song's emotions into something deeper and purer. It wasn't all sorrow and soul-searching, of course. Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves -- in which Lennox shared lead vocals with all three of her backup singers -- was awash in girl-power good feeling, while her hard-rocking read of Neil Young's Don't Let It Bring You Down (the evening's Canadian content) was surprisingly uplifting. But Lennox's most affecting moments were those tinged with sadness and self-reflection, and there were moments -- particularly during the final encore, Why -- when her singing was simply heartbreaking. That she was able to evoke such a deep emotional response without resorting to the usual pop-star overstatement and manipulation may be the greatest diva trick of all." (J.D. Considine, The Globe and Mail) |
