Review
Publication date : Wednesday, March 15th 2006 - 14 682 views
Junior Kelly, Tough Tour
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Carried by his latest album, the excellent "Tough life", Junior Kelly had no trouble setting the Parisian crowd alight; they came out in numbers to the Elysée Montmartre. Less than a year after his last visit to France, the show has not changed much, however, and will struggle to make us forget his previous explosive performance at the Bataclan (see the report of 9 May 2005).
 The night begins in a packed hall with the sound system Own Mission handling the first hour. The sound gets a few forwards, but when it leaves the stage, it is Greensleeves' Dancehall Anthems 2002 that takes over, straying too far from Junior Kelly's style. A pity, we would have preferred to listen to Own Mission for another half hour. The concert opens with Tough life, which we are discovering live for the first time. Junior Kelly seems in good shape and vocally perfect, as always. Yet some segments of the show are absolutely identical to those of previous years: we are surprised to find once again the long version of Kaya and its instrumental solos, or the sequence of Black, Boom draw and Rebel music, when Junior Kelly's repertoire easily allows him to break free from covers.
 A few novelties are nevertheless performed: lovers roots with Can't buy my love, or a tune with salsa influences that cools the audience somewhat. His roots dancehall hits are much better received: Blaze, Dem story, Rasta should be deeper, The more I see and Receive set the Elysée on fire, as they should. His older hits also have their effect, such as the famous Love so nice, You can make it, Push e fire, Black woman or Well run dry, the last two being pleasant surprises that had become rare on stage.
Infernal pace
After a little over an hour of concert followed by an encore, Junior Kelly leaves the stage and the Greensleeves selection takes the helm again, hammering out an Elephant Man tune that drives the audience towards the exit. Admittedly, Junior Kelly did not disappoint, his energy and professionalism being as present as ever. Known for his symbiosis with the audience, he did not show his customary warmth, however: no climbing on the speakers, no crossing the hall through the middle of the crowd that night... Without asking too much, those who already knew Junior Kelly might have expected more. His 2006 tour alternated very good performances with more conventional shows. It must be said that the artist was particularly in demand this year: no fewer than 27 concerts in just 30 days! An infernal pace that largely excuses the occasional dip in form.
Report written by Sébastien Jobart & Benoit Georges
Tags : Junior Kelly (61)
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