Lauren Fox, a New York native, makes her London debut at the Crazy Coqs of Brasserie Zedel.
The performance Love, Lust, Fear and Freedom is made up of highlights from the songbooks of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.
The performance Love, Lust, Fear and Freedom is made up of highlights from the songbooks of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. It is loosely yet effectively threaded together with snippets of Mitchell and Cohen’s lives and how they briefly crossed paths.
Fox pulled off a very entertaining and decent evening, despite first night nerves. The opening, Michael From Mountains, is brave with a high range. Throughout it seemed she was more comfortable with the range in the Leonard Cohen songs but her admiration for both artists is clear. She has done her research and it shows, making the music accessible for those who might not be as au-fait with the material.
The anecdotes and the songs are perfectly linked, though the storytelling could have felt less rehearsed at times. At one point Fox forgot her lyrics, but soldiered on professionally.
The second half felt more comfortable. She was funny and more relaxed, even venturing into the audience for I’m Your Man to serenade us barefooted.
She saves the best for last, a courageous version of Hallelujah and Both Sides Now. As soon as Lauren Fox switched her voice into that of Mitchell’s 2004 rerecording, an older, slower, lower register, she blew me away! It was such a shame that Fox only felt at ease on the stage in the last few minutes of her show: she really is a great singer who I believe will only grow to marvel us in the next few shows.
