By TANIA PHILLIPS
IT’s hard to listen to any of the tracks from Renee Geyer’s latest album Swing without wanting to rush out and buy it or if you have it, just keep hitting the repeat button on the CD player.
Her 25th album, Swing, is filled with tracks that are at once familiar but then again, maybe not.
There is only one Renee Geyer and the woman who has helped many of us discover the joy of jazz, blues and soul, has put her own individual stamp on classic big band tracks from Baby Please Don’t Go to Coming Home (a duet with old friend Paul Kelly that would blow Michael Buble’s socks off) she’s also given a little swing to her own classic tracks including Man’s World.
So what could be better than a new Renee Geyer album? – A chance to see her perform the tracks live with an 18-piece band at the venue she unashamedly calls “one of my favourites” Twin Towns.
Ms Geyer is in the house here on the Tweed tomorrow night (Friday 19 July).
“We just love it (at Twin Towns) we do it a lot – it is one of my favourite venues,” Renee said ahead of Friday’s show.
“The reason we are coming this time is the new album Swing – it’s my 25th album and a big band tribute – I am going to have 18 people on stage (with her).”
She said even if you had seen her before at Twin Towns – this was a special one – after all it’s not very often you get to see Renee Geyer with a full horn section (many of whom live in Byron Bay but are touring with her).
Talking to her it is very clear that this album was not only a joy to make, despite it being the 25th one in a 40 year career, but it is one she is very proud of.
“It’s one of my best records,” she said of the disc that she co-produced (something she said she has really got the hang of in recent years.
And of course while it’s a Big Band tribute don’t expect Renee Geyer to have turned into a tribute act singing the songs just the same way as Glady’s Knight or Frank Sintra. These are re-arranged and reimagined Renee Geyer style – a tribute to the song writers and to the songs themselves.
She said her biggest piece of advice to young singers was that if a song had done brilliantly by someone you can’t do it better in their style. It’s advice that she has obviously employed with this album and tour – staying true to the songs and herself.
Who: Renee Geyer
Where: Twin Towns
When: Friday July 18
Interested: Contact the club for details
