Yael Naim, Tom Baxter, Charlie Winston and Natalie Clein
iTunes Festival, Air Studios, London
26th February, 2008

View: standing, perfectly centre

There’s three things you find yourself doing when at a performance you’re really enjoying. You forget whether or not the person you’ve brought along is loving the show as much as you are, you forget how unfashionably close to the stage you’ve suddenly found yourself and lastly, you run through all the possible ways you can sneak backstage and meet the artists.

At the fifth night of the iTunes Live London Sessions at Air Studios, I found myself doing all three; this was, as the organisers had promised, live music at its very best; intimate and true. Whilst on paper it would seem Tom Baxter and celebrated cellist Natalie Clein would be headlining the show and though they gave the night a warm glow, it was the charismatic Charlie Winston and the delightful Yael Naim who really stole the headlines. Yael laced together five tracks of incredible beauty mesmerising the audience with a sassy, sexed-up cover of Britney Spears’ Toxic, as well as the blissful and floral Paris. With a voice so striking, at times hauntingly beautiful and yet angelic, Yael Naim is fast establishing herself as an artist of both rarity and uniqueness in her approach. It’s easy to see why her new single New Soul has been received so well.

And so to Charlie, full of swagger, full of spirit and with a real radiant stage presence, this was a singer evidently at home at the Lyndhust Hall, delivering tracks from his recent album such as My Life As a Duck and Hobo with charm and humor, not to mention finesse and aplomb. Taking over where Yael had left off, Charlie continued to treat the audience with a fine exhibition of soul-lifting and hearty music.

Not one to let the show down, his brother Tom Baxter rounded the evening off with new tracks from his latest offering Skybound, and with the gifted Natalie Clein marrying all four performances together, adding drama and even more emotional depth with some stunning cello work, this was all in all, acoustic music of the highest order.

The iTunes London Sessions continue to impress; providing audiences with unique collaborations and showcasing genuine creative talent. With the crowd providing all four artists with standing ovations, they too were clearly in full appreciation of having seen something truly special.

Reviewed by Vinny Maddage
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