On Thursday I had a great time with Owen (my own Northern Soul) at the Jazz Cafe seeing Motown diva KIM WESTON. She was one of several solo female singers - Brenda Holloway and Chris Clark also - who despite being signed to Motown during it's golden period in the 60s never quite managed to attain the status she deserved.

While charting Stateside with such 4-to-the-floor stompers as TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (ROCK ME A LITTLE WHILE) and HELPLESS as well as her classic duet with Marvin Gaye IT TAKES TWO, Kim never managed to consistently achieve chart success as well as being hampered by Motown never releasing a solo album in the 5 years she was there. She was also in the tricky situation of being married to one of the company's leading producer/songwriters and A&R man Mickey Stevenson. A shoe-in for success one would have thought, but it caused resentment in some quarters and eventually they both left the company in 1967.

Her rich powerful voice, so effective in the ballads she preferred singing, has weathered the test of time and she certainly put all she had into the performance... maybe a little too much as she seemed to be totally spent at the end of her set! She gave us the afore-mentioned chart hits as well as favourites like A THRILL A MOMENT, LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT GUY, DANCING IN THE STREET (which she complained had been taken from her and assigned to Martha & The Vandellas), blues standards PLEASE SEND ME SOMEONE TO LOVE and STORMY MONDAY and even a rocking gospel song which she sang while standing playing the keyboards. She would have sat on the stool like she did in rehearsal but then she "wasn't wearing this tight-ass dress" - she certainly has a way with the words!

Owen and I had deceided to sit this one out in the restaurant, seated facing the stage so we were rewarded with Kim coming along behind us to go down to the ground floor.... got a nice smile from her as I clapped her walking past first time and shook hands with her as she headed to the dressing room. She signed autographs after the show so got her to sign my 2 cds and a nice 10"x8" she had with her.

I would love to see her again... and hopefully word will get back to Brenda Holloway and Chris Clark that this is one room they should definately get booked into!