Review: CABARET FESTIVAL 2017: TAPESTRY - THE SONGS OF CAROLE KING at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Fiona Talbot-Leigh, Saturday 24th June 2017.

It's been 46 years since its release and Carole King's Tapestry still stands as one of the world's best selling albums. It was number one on the billboard chart for 15 weeks and sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

The production was to have featured Vika Bull and Debra Byrne but, unfortunately, due to ill health, Debra Byrne had to pull out at the last minute. Instead of cancelling the show, Vika's younger sister Linda stepped up, learning the whole show in just two days so that it could go ahead and the Adelaide audience, although sorry to miss Debra, welcomed Linda with open arms as these two sisters brought the music of Tapestry to life once more.

For 30 years, the glorious voices of Vika and Linda Bull have comprised one of the most distinctive, versatile, and emotionally charged sounds on the Australian music landscape. Since their multi-platinum conquest of pop radio with the Black Sorrows in the late 1980s, the sisters have forged diverse pathways into soul, gospel, blues, country and the island music of their Tongan ancestry.

There is nothing like being in the same room as these two brilliant vocalists, who bring King's songs so vividly to life. Backed by the wonderfully talented Brill Band, this dynamic duo treated us to an afternoon of classics, which began with a powerful rendition of I Feel the Earth Move, cementing the atmosphere for what was yet to come.

They came out strongly and it just got better from there. Peppered throughout with short anecdotes from King's life, the Bull sisters took us through just a few of the many brilliant songs written by King over her illustrious career. These two incredibly talented women each took turns to sing solo and back each other, but it was the moments sung in harmony that were the most poignant of the show. Their voices meld together in such a unique and beautiful way that just lifts and transports you right back to that time when the music first hit the charts, none more so than when they sang together, You've Got a Friend.

The audience were waiting for their classic favourites throughout the afternoon and I don't think there would be too many people who could rival Aretha Franklin's version of You Make Me Feel' (Like a Natural Woman), but I can tell you that, after hearing Vika sing it, she has got to be right up there as one of them. As well as their rich voices, the Bull sisters were so soulful in their delivery with each song, which just added to their performance.

The audience loved each and every minute of this show and it was hard for some to stay in their seats, such was the energy emanating from the stage, a lot of which had to do with the brilliant Brill band, whose backing was simply exceptional.

As our time together was drawing to a close it was clear that all there weren't going to let these two wonderfully talented women and their band leave the stage easily and an encore of a couple more songs, complete with Locomotion, did the trick.

Both Tapestry shows sold out and I, along with everyone there, was so grateful to Linda for all that she did to help make it go ahead, and to Debra Byrne, I send my best wishes for a speedy recovery. Hopefully, Tapestry one day will return to Adelaide with you performing for another season.

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