Lynda Dawn is Sensational at The Barbican (Concert Review)

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“If I break into tears, just ignore me,” said Lynda Dawn with a sly smile. The 600-strong crowd at Milton Court cheered, some clapping, some hooting. In case people were wondering, the multi-layered vocalist explained that this was her first headline show in three years. In conjunction, her sophomore release, ‘11th Hour’, was also released that day. Understandably, there was a lot going on.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise for those who follow Dawn. After all, this singer has fused elements of R&B, jazz, and funk to create her own complex amalgamation. ‘At First Light’, Dawn’s first EP in 2019, earned many followers for this fusion. That it took five years for her next offering to come out is, by Dawn’s admission, a rare and yet necessary move in an industry that pressures artists to keep up with the times. “I just needed to let it cook a bit longer,” she said halfway through her set.

She need not have worried. Those lush vocals and command of her six-strong band (along with three excellent backing vocalists) were on full display in her 80-minute show. This is an artist who seemingly thrives on stage. It’s a platform that afforded her the freedom to play with and elongate her songs in creative and, at times, breathless ways. The intro of the title track ‘11th Hour’, for example, was stripped back into a jazz lounge-style piano and vocal duet. It gave Dawn’s beautiful falsetto a deserved spotlight. The song then sprung back into action, and with her in-sync band, gave a blissful ode towards seizing the moment. “They say the darkest hour comes right before the dawn,” she crooned as she swayed to the moment.

Other songs were given similar concert-special treatment. ‘Theme for Cha-Cha’, a gorgeous funk tune off the first EP, had a fuller, more driving sound when paired with a live band. The song contains onomatopoeic-like expressions of nostalgia, and her boogaloo-inspired, delicate version of baby-talk dedicated to her jazz-loving father turned into a standout of the show. ‘Love Is Callin’’, another set highlight, featured a special guest in co-writer Marco Bernardis’ saxophone. They bathed the venue at the Barbican Centre in a soothing and sultry mood that echoed Ella Fitzgerald.

If anything, time became an interesting theme for Dawn’s show. The way the songstress, for example, conducted tempo with ease. She confidently gestured her palms down when she wanted her band to slow down. Furthermore, wielding a tambourine in hand and beckoning the crowd to clap along during the upbeat ‘Arise’. The way her music transported all of us into a 1970s club, owing to the singer growing up in a household that liberally mixed genres like boogie, dance, and soul. The way Lynda, in a shimmering red dress, looked and sounded with her trio of vocalists, was like a Diana Ross avatar.

By the end, she had the crowd on her feet. “I wouldn’t be mad, it is a Friday night,” poked Dawn, who then launched into ‘Move’. This is of course the genesis song that put her on the map. The crowd, of course, stood up and obliged. In a memorable outro, synth player Jason, Dawn’s brother and collaborator, used a vocoder and Auto-Tune to remix the song in sound-bending ways. If this show was a product of five years of musical gestation, then let this artist indeed cook. It appears time has only made a shining star that much more incandescent.

Lynda Dawn is on Instagram and X. Stream her music below and read more concert reviews here.

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