REVIEW: CARA DILLON – UPON A WINTER’S NIGHT
TURNER SIMS, SOUTHAMPTON
On a simple stage dressed with basic Christmas trees and atmospheric candlelight, charismatic Irish songbird Cara Dillon floated on in a long white hooded cloak, followed by four wonderful musicians on piano, guitar, fiddle, and accordion.
Cara Dillon’s voice is as pure and true as ever, but with over a decade’s performing experience, she’s added texture, power, and confident stage presence.
This beautiful concert – performed on “Black Friday” with its manic nonsense of shallow commercial frenzy, equating Christmas with obscene overspending – is a gentle reminder of the real meaning of the festive season.
The entertaining material combines a moving mix of traditional carols and hymns – Oh Holy Night, Oh Come Emmanuel, and the old celtic Wexford Carol – with original songs written by Cara and her pianist husband Sam Lakeman.
Particularly outstanding are the poignantly perceptive Standing By My Christmas Tree, reflecting on the loneliness and nostalgia sometimes felt at Christmas, especially when a family member is missing ... and Mother Mary, celebrating the story of Jesus’ birth with dignity, joy and beauty.
Opening the second set alone, dramatically backlit in an emerald green 1950s flared dress, Cara Dillon’s angelic voice swoops and soars, intimately caressing every word with passion and precision.
Surprising and delightful is Dillon’s version of Joni Mitchell’s Wish I Had A River and the concert’s climax is “the Cornish version” of The Holly And The Ivy.
Uplifting and inspirational!
Brendan McCusker
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