Review: At Last - The Etta James Story

Photo: Chrissie Francis

Thunder and lightning may have been the talk of the town in Melbourne on Thursday night (21st), but inside the packed Athenaeum Theatre Vika Bull and The Essential R&B Band were whipping up a storm of their own.

Electrifying and down right seductive singing by Ms Bull is the centre piece in a narrative concert focused on the life of music’s ‘original bad girl’, Etta James. 

Photo: Chrissie Francis

Bull’s is a supreme voice, charged with passion and underwritten by technical brilliance. It’s only a matter of time before Vika Bull is declared a National Living Treasure. In the meantime, I’m hanging out for the CD release. Continue reading

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At Last: Vika Bull to Narrate Etta James' Story
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At Last: Vika Bull to narrate Etta James' story (Athenaeum)

Vika Bull (Photo: Chrissie Francis)

When seasoned songstress Vika Bull graces the Athenaeum stage in Melbourne on February 21st in At Last: The Etta James Story, she rejects any suggestion she will be acting.

‘I am just telling the story of one amazing woman,’ Ms Bull told Stage Whispers, ‘and I am very nervous as it is my first time at narrating.’

Twenty-six of Etta James’s songs, backed by an eight-piece band, will feature in the ‘narrative concert’, which tells the story of the soul singer’s life. It opens just over a year after Etta James’ death in January 2012.

‘I am going to try and sing her songs as true as I can,’ said Bull. ‘Of course she was one hell of a singer with her own phrasing and that is very hard to mimic. I have been doing my homework and reading a lot about her - she had a tough life - I can only do my interpretation as best as I can.’
Continue reading on Stage Whispers

Read my review of the 'At Last' World Premiere
Watch Vika Bull singing 'At Last'
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