It's been over a decade since Amy MacDonald's debut album and the smash hits This Is The Life and Mr. Rock & Roll. For everyone who hasn't been keeping up with what she's been up to since, she recently released a compilation of her best songs and it's a great reminder of this young woman's talents as a songwriter and as a singer.
To promote that record, she has embarked on a tour in which she performs those songs in a mostly acoustic format, with the addition of a cellist and a violinist. It's a great opportunity to hear those wonderful songs with different arrangements and if the volume is a little more quiet than with a full band, the tunes themselves have lost none of their power.
She opened with the new song from her recent collection Woman Of The World then for almost two hours she regaled us with fresh takes on familiar songs like Spark, Down By The Water or this reviewer's personal favourite, a splendidly sparse rendition of Run in which she made good use of her enchanting contralto.
She also spent some time introducing every song, and while I usually dislike stage banter she did it in such an endearing, humorous way that it was a joy to listen to her give those songs more context for the small but fervent Parisian crowd who sang, cried, laughed and danced (quietly) throughout the whole show.
It was a delightful night filled with great songs, inspiring performances and the astonishing realisation that such a young artist, with only four albums, already boasts such an impressive catalogue. The simple, immediate renditions of those tunes made for a mesmerising experience. In fact, I think we're all still under the spell.
