Over the years, since her phenomenal rise to fame on the reality TV documentary programme, The Cruise, and through her many appearances on Loose Women, Jane McDonald has developed a huge fan base, and it is to those fans that she dedicates her latest album, and national tour, The Singer of Your Song.
Many of those devoted fans fill the Assembly Hall Theatre and, as the lights dim, they fall totally silent as the band and backing singers take their places. Still unseen, Jane’s crystal clear voice pierces the darkness as she begins to sing the opening lines to Barry Manilow’s wonderful anthem, “One Voice”.
As the band join in Jane appears through the mist and, as one, her devoted fans take to their feet to show her their love and respect with the first of many standing ovations. Jane’s reacts, as they know she will, with waves and smiles while still belting out her opening number and proving, to anyone who may doubt it, that her voice is as powerful as it is clear.
The Singer of Your Song album contains 14 tracks which are a mixture of original numbers and cover versions of classic songs and, basically, that is exactly what we get with the live show. The second song is taken straight from the album and is Charlene’s 1982 smash hit, “I’ve Never Been to Me” – introduced with a nod and a wink and some very down to earth Yorkshire humour – reinforcing the palpable link between Jane and her fans.
Never afraid to try something different, Jane follows with an incredible disco medley featuring some tremendous songs by the likes of Odyssey and Shalamar but then jumps straight into “musical theatre mode” with “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls.
Never one to stick to a script, or playlist, Jane suddenly decides that she’s in the mood to sing the fantastic “At Last”, made famous by Etta James, and, after some rummaging around for the musical score, that is exactly what she does – creating unbridled joy among the fans who have seen the show before and suddenly find themselves witnessing an unexpected change in the set list which prompts them all to take to their feet again.
The second half offers a change of frock, and more of the same mix of tunes, but with the addition of a whole section devoted to Jane’s own compositions. There are songs for her Grandma, her Mum, her Dad, her Husband and, of course, the song that she wrote especially for her fans, “The Singer of Your Song”.
Quite emotional at the tremendous reaction she receives from her Tunbridge Wells crowd, who have been treated to such classics as The Rose (a duet with former backing singer Susan Ravey), Love is All, Betcha by Golly Wow and a stunning medley of James Bond theme tunes, Jane returns to the stage in yet another new frock to finish off with a final dance medley which includes that absolutely superb track, “Dance Yourself Dizzy” – a number two hit for Liquid Gold back in 1980.
As she leaves the stage for the final time, her devoted fans, and many who have seen Jane for the first time all leave with the same satisfied glow that you get from spending a couple of hours with a really good friend, a friend you just can’t wait to see again!
Five Stars *****