THEATRE ROYAL, BURY ST EDMUNDS (2008)
'BURY FREE PRESS' (February, 2008)
Elkie Brooks may be eligible for her pension, but she still possesses an astonishing voice that most of today's young pop stars would be
envious of.
And while critics accuse many of her peers of 'going through the motions' in their stage shows, the 63-year-old singer, whose recording career has spanned four decades, showed no signs of being tired of performing when she appeared at
the Theatre Royal on Friday, in the second show of a two-night run.
With the audience in the palm of her hand from the first note, she was clearly still excited to be on stage and thrilled at the reaction from her enthusiastic fans, who gave her a standing ovation.
Although her big hits, such as Pearl's A Singer and Lilac Wine, went down a storm, her voice was best suited to the blues numbers, a fact recognised by jazz legend Humphrey Lyttelton, who has rightly credited her with having the best female blues voice in the UK.
Despite not being a fan of many of her songs, it was hard not to be won over by one of the most
impressive voices I have heard in a long time. It was obvious that Brooks was in her element - and
certainly a long way from retirement.
(Kirsty Marais)
