As Motown icon Martha Reeves takes to the stage at Ronnie Scott’s, for what is the second of a five night residency, woops and cheers fill the room. Martha’s visibly moved and it’s clear from the off that this is going to be a show to remember.
And what a show it is, a show in every sense of the word. Martha is from a dying breed, she’s an artist, a true performer. Looking beyond the songs, her music flows from the school of thought where a voice is not enough, it has to be the whole package: all or nothing.
Martha looks elegant, dressed in a red tassel dress, and the audience is immediately won over by her personality and interaction. This isn’t to say her voice (which is as strong as ever) fails in any way, but the way she works the crowd really is impressive – an art lost on many modern artists. Each song has a story that precedes it: where it came from, who wrote it, why she picked it to perform. And each one comes with a dose of humour. “The Beatles covered a lot of Motown numbers, but they never covered any of mine!” the soul star quips before singing one of her favourite Beatles numbers: ‘Something’.
The gig itself is split into two sets, each with a mix of upbeat and down tempo numbers. After the second song of the evening, 1966 classic ‘I’m Ready For Love’, Martha addresses the audience to let them know that the band are “gonna slow it down a little, before I faint.”
All the hits that propelled Martha into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are on show. ‘(Love Is Like A) Heatwave’, ‘Nowhere To Run’ and the legendary ‘Jimmy Mack’ are received to riotous applause. Alongside these 60’s classics are a couple of Martha-penned numbers taken from her 2004 album ‘Home To You’ and a woozy cover of Duke Ellington’s ‘Mood Indigo’, giving each of her brass section a solo spot to shine.
The night draws to a close with the whole crowd on its feet, moving to what is arguably Martha’s best known hit ‘Dancing In The Street’. A song that she notes has been covered by many an artist “Bowie & Jagger, the Boss Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead, The Mamas & The Papas and even... Phil Collins.”
Proof of Martha’s dedication to her fans is clear, as no sooner has she finished on stage she’s out front signing autographs and telling tales. This is a lady that very much deserves the word “Legend” to be mentioned in the same breath as her name.
