Alison Moyet

Venturing out to the CNE Grounds, on a Sunday night no less, is not my ideal way of spending my Sunday evening before the dreaded Monday morning. But when you're venturing out to see Alison Moyet, it's worth it. Returning to Toronto to perform at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre after a 14 year absence, the British singer proved that time has been very kind to her soulful, bluesy voice, which remains powerfully intact.

Even if Moyet's recent material, including a number of songs from last year's The Turn, was met with mild response by the three-quarters full audience, her stunning vocals were a treat. Her powerful pipes were well-matched with the jazzy material, including a cover of Elvis Costello's Almost Blue and Billie Holiday's That Ole Devil Called Love. Most members in the audience were looking for nostalgia as Moyet trotted out a handful of Yaz hits (which she covered on their recent reunion tour this past summer, which, sadly, did not stop in Toronto and many last night were probably kicking themselves for not getting to see that much-anticipated reunion). Without Vincent Clarke's trademark synthesizer, Moyet's tight five piece band did an adequate job re-inventing the songs (with violins, no less). Particularly good was an energetic version of Don't Go, although a brief version of Situation, which was the show closer, did not sound as good without synthesizers.

As for Moyet's own early material, she seemed hesitant to trot out her biggest North American hit, Invisible, for its desperate and pleading lyrics, which Moyet joked as unbecoming for an almost-50-year-old woman to sing. But the night's biggest surprise was an intimate version of Is this Love, which was warmly embraced by the crowd. A solid version of Whispering Your Name was also a highlight.

Too much of the newer material weighed down some of the show, and unfortunately Moyet performed only a few songs from her excellent 2004 covers album, Voice. But it was THAT voice that held the show together. Hopefully Moyet won't wait 14 years for next performance in Toronto.