Nerina Pallot in Concert

60 minutes with up-and-rising Brit singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot was, simply put, enthralling. Forget the fact that I bought tickets at the last minute (cos I assumed tickets would have sold out by then) and that I was fortunate to find Leeds friends Cat and Ken (Lam) who spontaneously agreed to join me in finding out who and what Nerina Pallot was all about, 10 hours before show time (thanks to them, I didn’t have to watch the concert by myself).

A singer-songwriter in the style of Sheryl Crow, Carole King, Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, Nerina plays a fresh blend of folk-rock that merges her classical music training with her love of folk, country and rock music. Nerina alternates between the piano and guitar, occasionally accompanied by lush instrumentation, and sings with versatile vocals, delivering music that is, at times, measured and soulful, at other times, endearing and up-tempo...(synopsis adopted from the Sistic website)

Initially, I didn’t think too much of the synopsis until I witnessed Nerina’s prowess myself, where she is talented in both dexterity in playing the piano and guitar, and poised in alternating one song with another, peppering the pauses with anecdotes on her life and song origins. Any silence of the Esplanade Recital Studio was either masked by her captivating voice or alluring alter-ego, and the charismatic presence she exuded.

I particularly liked the setting, where she played to a smaller audience as opposed to the larger seating capacity of the concert hall or theatre. From where I sat (in the 3rd row), I had a clear unobstructed view of Nerina whether she was on the piano or standing in “guitar”-mode, at most 5 metres away. I’m always impressed with talents who can juggle between multiple musical instruments without faltering, and Nerina was one of that elite few who easily over-qualifies.

I like her singles “Sophia”, “Learning to Breathe”, and the locally-banned “Everybody’s gone to war”, on top of a new song “Heidi” she claimed novelty right in the middle of her set. She played this right after polling the audience if they preferred that she play a new song (*audience cheers and applauds*), or do a B-side cover, to which the audience fell silent but broke into laughter, clearly indicating a consensus with the former option.

The only minor downside of tonight was the fact she didn’t feel too well (after traveling around the globe for a month now) and so harbored a slightly huskier voice. As a result, she was constantly hydrating herself with water at the start and end of each song, which she did so with much poise and calmness. She made a small remark which tickled the audience incredibly (me included), on how she’s tried “taking different concoctions and solutions [in a bid to cure her throat] that if [she] were to take a blood test, [she’d] be radioactive again, or legal, quickly adding that [she] had read the warning on her entry permit.

Overall, I enjoyed her set with such delight I rushed out to get the 3rd last available CD and stand in line for her autograph session, which Nerina so graciously penned my name across the album cover. I regretted not taking my camera along, and settled for a blurry camera-phone picture courtesy of Ken. One thing’s sure, this is only the beginning for the extremely pretty and charismatic singer/songwriter. Think of it as a mesh-up of Corrinne May and Norah Jones, and that’s precisely one unforgettable night of song and soul.

A couple of shout-outs too: Met Chua who was working, and amidst the audience - Ranjan, Caleb, his gf Esther (and his sister too), Monika, as well as caught a glimpse of radio personality Mario.

It’s a pity Nerina only played for one-night only with the 9.30pm one being the second and last gig. But she promised she’ll be back, and I pray we won’t have to wait too long. Till then, I urge you all to check out http://www.nerinapallot.com/ where you can listen to all her songs on her Fires album for free, on the left Navigation panel, under “Entertainment”.