Sass Jordan / Performing at Hugh's Room / Toronto, Canada / Sept 12th
Canadian
rock singer Sass Jordan is a lot of things, but what she is not is
squeamish, timid or understated. On September 12th, performing
before a packed house at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, Canada, the rock singer was
spectacular, her dialogue often coarse and at times if you closed your eyes
while she was singing, you would have thought that Janis Joplin had come
back to life. Jordan however, does not need to be compared to Joplin,
because although she may not have cast as large a shadow as Joplin, her
voice, her passion and her energy are Joplin’s equal, and it is ironic that
Jordan once portrayed the iconic singer in the off Broadway production
Love Janis.
On a night when she was releasing her new album from Dusk ‘til Dawn the Juno Award winner (Canada’s highest music award) and the artist that Billboard once presented with the Best Female Rock Vocalist award, chronicled her career musically with songs from earlier albums such as Tell Somebody (1988), Racine (1992), Rats (1994) and Get What You Give (2006), as well as unveiling new songs from Dusk ‘til Dawn.
Throughout Jordan’s performance, as was the case with “Who Do You Think You Are?” her adoring fans often clapped and acknowledged their appreciation. after only a few guitar riffs from Michael Brokosky’s acoustic and Chris Cadell’s electric rhythm and as the first few words escaped Jordan’s lips.
There were slower, more laid back tunes such as “Sun’s Gonna Rise,” which showcased another side of Jordan’s superb vocals, one with a softer edge and without the bite that is present in many of her songs. She also performed songs about being overwhelmed with feelings of love and wanting to “get my feet back on the ground,” as revealed in “How Do I Get It Right?” Jordan’s soulfulness and her impeccable phrasing allow her to communicate a heart breaking or a woman just coming to the realization that a relationship is ending and that both people are wasting each other’s time, as is the case in “Awake.” This is a beautiful song that is not bitter, but the singer is looking for answers as to how they got to this place in the relationship and if you cannot say the words I love you anymore than we are just really kidding ourselves. This was easily the most beautiful song that Sass Jordan performed on this evening and if you have ever lay “awake counting the stars,” or gone out at three am looking for answers that do not come easily, you will appreciate the depth of emotion that Jordan brings to “Awake.” What also made this song work so well is the vulnerable and sensitive guitar work of both Caddell and Borkosky, the soft drumming of Charles Cooley and the beautiful background vocals of Caddell and Emm Gryner.
The strength of Jordan’s band was showcased, as Caddell began singing “I Want To Believe,” and then Gryner, Borkosky and Jordan took turns trading verses, in what has to be counted as a very rare moment in music history, for seldom do you get an opportunity to listen to a rock band that possesses so much vocal talent, at such a high level. All the vocals were smooth and passionate.
Over and over again, as the songs rolled out, the audience was reminded why this national treasure has shared the stage with the likes of; the Rolling Stones and AC/DC, performed a duet with Joe Cocker for the film The Bodyguard and had her songs featured on numerous prime time television programs.
Sass Jordan’s ninety minute set came to an end with an encore song “So Hard,” a hard driving, rock song with lots of grit and it was another stunning vocal performance by an artist who knows how to serve up a song with lots of soul, something that has become Sass Jordan’s signature during the course of her career.
Sept 12th, 2009
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Riveting Riffs Magazine wishes to express our gratitude to the management of Hugh's Room for making it possible to review this performance
