Saturday night found us at the sticky-floor emporium that is Shepherds Bush Empire to see BEVERLEY KNIGHT - I think it was the 5th time I had seen her on stage not counting the PA she did at Virgin Megastore to promote AFFIRMATION. Indeed the first time I saw her was at Shepbush promoting the WHO I AM album.

I was feeling a little below-par going in but soon got bounced into the happy place when Lady Miss Knight appeared. Bev puts her all into her stage shows and always generates wild audience reaction. She has been getting a lot of mainstream attention recently what with many appearances on tv, her BEST OF cd and supporting Take That on their comeback tour. The latter actually garnered some boos in the audience when she mentioned it but she justified her doing it by maintaining that it would bring her to the next level in her career. Beverley has always had a bigger percentage of white punters than one would suspect for an essentially r&b performer but she has always been the first to acknowledge her own hybrid of rnb & pop as stemming from growing up in Wolverhampton and listening to so many styles of music. Ultimately she has to maintain her wide appeal to continue to have a career - the UK r&b scene is littered with performers who never managed to break out of the urban music ghetto despite goodwill and initial success - Omar, Kelly LeRoc, Shola Ama, David Lyndell Hall.

Anyways back to the show - Bev now has 5 albums-worth of material to draw on and all her 'standards' were in evidence - "Flava Of The Old School" from B-FUNK, "Greatest Day" and "Made It Back" from PRODIGAL SISTA, "Gold", "Get Up" and "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" from WHO I AM, "Not Too Late For Love", "Keep This Fire Burning" and "Come As You Are" from AFFIRMATION, "Angels" and "Piece of My Heart" from VOICE. She also included "Moving On Up", "Sista Sista", Whatever's Clever", "Supasonic" and a fierce cover version of "I'm Every Woman". She left me elated and grinning from ear to ear as always - must try and book tix for her November date in Hammersmiff.