Martha Housden 

Norwich can be sexy

Pop: Martha Housden on Amy Winehouse
  
  


Amy Winehouse Norwich Waterfront

She ain't no angel, but boy does she sound heavenly. On stage is 20-year-old Amy Winehouse snarling with tremendous vocal power. Close your eyes and you could be in a smoking jazz club in Harlem. Open them and you are in a soulless Norwich venue. It doesn't feel right, but from tonight's performance, it seems no roof could subdue this shooting star.

Along with Jamie Cullum and Katie Melua, Winehouse is seen as one of the new kids on Norah Jones's block, all part of the recent jazz revival. Yet while Jones's lacklustre shows may have sent some of the audience to sleep, Winehouse is smacking her sell-out crowds with spirit.

It takes a while for her to relax, but when she does she melts with sultry charisma, oozing sex. Performing most of the songs from her acclaimed debut album Frank, the biggest cheers of the night go to the magnificent 'Take the Box' and the bleeding heart of 'No Greater Love'.

The thing about watching Winehouse, however, is not simply in the immediacy of enjoyment, but in the glimpses of her future. She is sure to be a massive star.

· Shepherds Bush Empire, London W12 (Mon, Tues)

 

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