Hear Me Roar - Unplugged

Billed as ‘an uplifting concert experience celebrating the women whose music changed the world’, Hear Me Roar - Unplugged was certainly a satisfying balm for our post-Covid cultural appetites during the 2021 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, full of great songs and, for the most part, setting up a joyous dance party vibe.  I am still trying to work out just what the ‘unplugged’ refers to though, given the very much electrified technical set up.  The first iteration of this show, conceived and directed by Trevor Ashley, was shown at the Sydney Opera House in 2018 with a larger cast so perhaps this is the pared back, ‘unplugged’ offering?

Pared back it might be, but with three vocalists and an excellent band (six women plus a ‘token’ yet supremely talented male, Adelaide’s Sam Leske on guitar) this show was certainly a hit.  Programming songs from female superstars of the singer and singer/songwriter persuasion is always a good choice and we certainly had a diverse set served to us.  To begin, Tania Doko, Emma Pask and Prinnie Stevens strode onstage to perform Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ with a smattering of counter harmony inserted here and there from Helen Reddy’s ‘I Am Woman’.  They followed this winning tribute with the 1985 Annie Lennox / Eurythmics hit ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves’, which of course featured Aretha Franklin as guest artist back in the day.  This song also provided a moment for Leske to contribute a smoking guitar solo.

Image: Emma Pask

With some onstage chat about the power of women and in particular female singers, and sometimes the overwhelming tragedy surrounding their lives and possibly overtaking the value of their musical contribution, Emma Pask stepped front and centre to sing ‘You Know I'm No Good’.  Pask is an elemental performer of great range and a jazz star in Australia and internationally.  During this song she could emulate Winehouse’s vocal swagger but also imbued the song with her own interpretation and it was impossible to look away.  The all-woman horn section featured, whilst promenading around the stage, in ‘You Know I'm No Good’ and Ms Pask gave us a further sample of her vocal power in a scat solo.

As this Cabaret offering began, I felt initially that the energy and connection with the audience was a little slow to warm up and Prinnie Stevens taking on Billie Holiday was an example of this.  Singing ‘God Bless The Child’, Stevens pop vocal was adequate but her voice did not do justice to the song, and the emotional connection was not at all tangible - pretty voice, with a strong, high belt that featured well elsewhere, but the wrong song for this artist.  Additionally, there were times throughout the gig when sound levels were not ideal with the accompaniment overpowering the vocals, as it did here.

Image: Tania Doko

Tania Doko, the rock voice of the trio, was on point with flowing hair and an all-black outfit, singing a Chrissy Amphlett favourite.  ‘I Touch Myself’ definitely suited her strong voice and Doko played teasingly well with the audience and band.  The former member of chart-topping duo Bachelor Girl still has great charisma which shone even more brightly later in the show with Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’; simply one of the best versions of this brilliant song I have heard in a long time, both musically and emotionally.  Another sensitive homage came from Emma Pask with only acoustic piano accompaniment from the talented pianist and musical director.  Ms Pask’s delivery of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ was perfection, the entire auditorium in awe until the final note, with her vocals exhibiting more finesse, power and clarity than the original.  Indeed, the theatrical performance of the song exemplified Pask’s artistry and well-deserved reputation.

With the rock chick, pop diva and jazz superstar united again, a rousing performance of Aretha Franklin’s ‘R.E.S.P.E.C.T.’ delighted the audience.  Also proving that these three diverse voices could work well together, Carole King and Madonna covers upped the energy considerably.  Both ‘Natural Woman’ (1967) and ‘Express Yourself’ (1989) provided some lightness and fun and some welcome harmonies, plus more technical brilliance from the assembled band.

In celebration of her devotion to the Latin genre, Emma Pask gave us a Gloria Estefan medley showcasing both the performer and her prodigious song writing credentials.  Snippets of songs like ‘Let’s Get Loud’, ‘Whenever/Wherever’, ‘Conga’, ‘Rhythm Is Gonna Get You’ were topped off with some more astounding Pask scat singing.

Image: Prinnie Stevens

To end the set, Prinnie Stevens took the lead initially on ‘Chains’, the Tina Arena hit and this is where her high, poppy, belted notes were more appropriate.  The three singers shared the lead for the final song, ‘I Am Woman’, all the more poignant seeing as Helen Reddy departed this plane only last year.  Reflecting the opening of the show, Katy Perry’s lyric was layered into the finale with a sinuous, heartfelt ritardando on ‘You’re gonna hear me roar’.  And the audience did, demanding an encore, naturally, and the stars returned to the stage to sing us into the disco era for an enjoyable Donna Summer tribute.

This was a satisfying concert without doubt, and I would love to see more women on stage in celebration of female artists.  All in all, a fun performance with awesome musicians and powerhouse vocalists giving their all, but is it cabaret?

Lisa Lanzi

Photographer: Claudio Raschella

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