Carole King, James Taylor @Brisbane Entertainment Centre(01/04/2010)

Mon 19th Apr, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Any feelings of animosity left by the detour for the badly-timed roadworks on the M1 are soon forgotten; the capacity crowd spots the two old friends walking hand-in-hand well before the light-tech does and erupts accordingly. Maybe aware of the late-ish start, a couple of smiles and nods are the only salutation before James Taylor and Carole King get the show underway.

From the outset there’s a clinging feeling; a collective hope that this long fabled match-up can deliver (unlike other recent ‘comeback’ tours) on the obviously strong expectation. Taylor plucks a few gorgeous notes and the barely waning applause heightens again. His voice doesn’t appear to have aged at all. Close your eyes and you see a lanky, long-haired and musically gifted hippy kid; open them and you’ve somehow travelled forward four decades and amazingly only his hairline has faltered. While Taylor croons out his share of tonight’s offerings, the fantastic Carole King adds depth and emotion (not that his songs lack any of the latter) on piano and backing vocals.

The two alternate hit song for mega-hit song. Now it’s King’s turn for the meatier half of the spotlight and she looks and sounds stunning. As if earthing electrical passion through fingers then piano, the crowd is visibly moved with every strike. There’s the songs all were hanging for; songs that some had forgotten she did; and songs that a few had no idea were hers. King provides the more upbeat slices of the evening’s pie. From solo piano power ballad she moves, humbly and easily to straight up, funk-drenched soul.

Unlike Taylor, Carole King’s vocals have audibly changed over time (whether evolution or devolution has occurred is probably subjective). Her original power and volume are still present in spades, but at the peak of her range, where she once would have cruised, it’s clear her vocal chords are now redlining. The ‘new voice’ however, is beautiful. The added husk almost gives King’s songs a whole new dynamic and is definitely not worth criticism.

For Taylor, the obvious draw card of Fire and Rain comes quite early to everybody’s delight. Other standout’s are the timeless Carolina in my Mind, Copperline, Baby James and Mexico. Picking key tracks from King’s catalogue is even tougher. Crowd pleasers I Feel the Earth Move, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman are phenomenal, but the show stopper was definitely the obvious expression of mutual respect; the pair’s duet of You’ve Got A Friend.

Perhaps the only thing to overshadow the sheer singer-songwriter brilliance on display is casual, intimacy two create. Virtually every one of the night’s songs receives a light-hearted yet deeply moving anecdotal foreword and upon leaving the venue it’s impossible to ignore the importance and timelessness of what had just transpired. Arguably two of the most talented and historically important performers had just given us the show of a generation. And two of history’s most prolific songwriters just blessed us with insight, passion and friendship.