\u201cThis venue has a special resonance for me.\u201c explains James Grant as he takes to the stage in the historic Glasgow City Halls for the much anticipated concert \u2018James Grant and the Hallelujah Strings\u2019 \u201cIt\u2019s where we premi\u00e8red \u2018Dogs in the Traffic\u2019. He describes this 1991 Love and Money album as \u201cThe best thing we ever did.\u201d<\/p>\n
And so James Grant comes full circle to Glasgow City Halls for the best gig he ever did. <\/p>\n
Admittedly he has called in some help to achieve this. Not only has be assembled a band who read like a Who\u2019s Who of the Scottish music scene, he also brings us the orchestral delights of The Hallelujah Strings.<\/p>\n
The Strings add a dimension that even the iconic original Love and Money performance did not include. Grant\u2019s songs are powerful even when performed acoustically, just solo guitar and impressive vocal. This phenomenal musical collective provides a wall of sound that is truly, epically immense.<\/p>\n
From the engine of Gordon Wilson\u2019s drums to the vertiginous heights of the soaring violins, every note, chord and vocal harmony weave together to become even greater than the sum of its multi-talented parts. The result is a musical event that defies description, and will be long remembered.<\/p>\n
The opening track is \u2018My Thrawn Glory\u2019, showcasing the lush, voluptuous strings as counterpoint to Grant\u2019s passionate and powerful vocal. The ecstatic response from the crowd draws a small smile from this teller of grim tales. Even the self-effacing Grant cannot deny that the result is as near perfection as makes no odds, and his audience knows this. <\/p>\n
The orchestra is a delight in every sense. Not only do they look and sound beautiful, \u201cThey smell magic too. That\u2019s what classical training does for your personal hygiene.\u201d Grant informs us, dead-pan. He has promised to keep the patter to a minimum, and immediately breaks this promise. No-one complains.<\/p>\n
For the dark and introspective \u2018Piglet\u2019 he is joined by Monica Queen providing backing vocals, before becoming uncharacteristically optimistic for ‘This could be The Day.\u2019 The set is generous and well rounded, with crowd pleasing tracks from solo albums \u2018My Thrawn Glory, and \u2018Sawdust in my Veins\u2019; the Love and money releases \u2018Strange Kind of Love,\u2019 \u2018The Devils Debt\u2019 and, of course, \u2018Dogs in the Traffic.\u2019<\/p>\n
This is not the first time the Hallelujah Strings have joined Grant on stage in Glasgow. Donald Shaw had a great influence in bringing this collaboration to Celtic Connections in January 2016. So it is fitting that Shaw takes centre stage on the Steinway for the stunningly moving \u201cDoes It All Add Up to Nothing\u201d before the fourteen- piece orchestra swells the sound. The purity of piano, strings and vocal result in a piece that hits the audience like an emotional sledgehammer. <\/p>\n
Grant is aware of how important that Celtic Connections show was to this current performance. \u201cWhen we did this show before, I loved it so much I really wanted to do it again. It became obvious that the strings added another dimension, particularly to some songs, especially \u2018I Can\u2019t Stop Bleeding.\u2019 He goes on \u201cThey underscored it emotionally.\u201d The emotional input is far more varied that you might expect. Yes, there is poignancy and pathos, but The Strings also bring a dynamism and energy that is entirely fresh and new.<\/p>\n
As he prepares to give us this augmented version of \u2018I Can\u2019t stop Bleeding\u2019 Grant grins \u201cIt\u2019s always been an miserablist anthem.\u201d Despite the miserable lyrics the audience has rarely seen Grant enjoy a gig so much, he is obviously delighted at the culmination of the hard work leading up to this moment. \u201cI\u2019m totally loving this; it\u2019s very much my bag.\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n
New to me is Grant\u2019s cover of the 1948 release \u2018Nature Boy\u2019, made famous by Nat King Cole. A simple arrangement of strings and outstanding vocals it is utterly arresting in its power; the Bond theme that never was. <\/p>\n
All restraint is thrown to the wind as the band up the ante and the tempo. The supergroup consists of Ewan Vernal, Brian McFie, Douglas MacIntyre, Donald Shaw and not forgetting (although Grant did) the aforementioned Gordon Wilson. The collective experience of this set of veteran rockers is significant, and most obvious in a robust version of \u2019The Devil\u2019s Debt\u2019 as they raise the roof with old school rock\u2019n\u2019roll excess. \u2018Strange Kind of Love\u2019 belongs totally to Ewan Vernal\u2019s hypnotic, insistent bass guitar.<\/p>\n
As a musical event it is a triumph, acknowledged by audience and performers alike. A lovely moment is the sight of the first-chair violinist throwing back his head to laugh in sheer delight at the big beautiful noise they produce, and the reaction that it provokes from the audience. Grant voices the band\u2019s obvious feelings: \u201dWe\u2019ve had an absolute ball\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
They finish with perennial favourite \u201cWinter\u201d which has the audience leaping to their feet in appreciation. Grant looks genuinely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the well deserved standing ovation. <\/p>\n
He encores with an incandescent version of \u201cStarman\u201d in tribute to the late great David Bowie that has the audience singing, waving and generally blown away.<\/p>\n
This collabaration is undoubtedly a career high for Grant and friends, and surely demands to be repeated. Soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"