YouTube has made critical commentary on Imelda May’s astonishingly obvious talent and beauty completely superfluous. However, the dozens of clips do prompt one vital observation: whether Ms. May and her band of hotshots are performing rockabilly in a nightclub or a blues standard in an arena — they always bring their “A” game.
Seasoned pro May has been tapped by patron Jeff Beck often over the past few years; she guested on his new album, Emotion & Commotion, and the pair will launch a two-week tour of the U.S. in late March. Recently, Beck and May starred in a filmed tribute to Les Paul at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club.
Before segueing into the Johnson Bros/Johnny Otis classic, “Casting My Spell On You” in this clip, Beck and May perform the Shangri-La’s “Walking In the Sand.” The combination of Dublin’s brightest-burning torch and rock’s most emotive guitarist is even sexier than one might imagine.
Steve Stav is a Seattle-based music journalist who has written extensively about Imelda May. An interview and a concert review can be found here:
http://www.ink19.com/issues/march2010/interviews/imeldaMay.html
and a photo gallery can be found here:
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