Review: Rose Royce re-incarnated returns to Shrewsbury stage
Sweet soul music and funky grooves were heard in Shrewsbury when singer Gwen Dickey brought the new incarnation of Rose Royce to Theatre Severn.
Rose Royce were stars of the stateside funk, soul and disco scene in the 1970s, when the Los Angeles band had a massive breakthrough hit with the Car Wash album. But, after four years of success, turmoil within the band led to Gwen quitting Rose Royce in 1980 for a solo career and eventually relocating to the UK.
However, the 68-year-old singer from Mississippi has assembled a new Rose Royce and on Sunday night her eight-piece band, including a three-man horn section, proved tight and adept at both the funky numbers and the powerful soul ballads that are Gwen's speciality.
Forty-plus years is a long time for music fans to cast back their minds, also the concert’s two-year concert delay due to Covid and the gig's potential walk-up appeal hit by probably the hottest weather of the year so far, meant that the house was less than half full.
Credit then to support act Junior Giscombe for motivating the audience. Once billed as simply Junior, for a brief period in the early 80s it looked like the London R&B singer could become the UK's answer to Michael Jackson. Things didn't go that way, and at 65 Junior looks more senior these days. But he still has a great voice, smooth moves and got the audience out of their seats.
He worked well with a recorded backing track and even performed his greatest hit, Mama Used To Say, three times... as an a cappella singalong with the audience, then the familiar hit version and finally in a reggae style.
Those unfamiliar with Gwen Dickey's story since the Rose Royce heyday may have been surprised to see her make her stage entrance in a wheelchair before shuffling over to a stool by a microphone. She explained that she had received a spinal injury in an accident.
Any fears that it may effect her vocal performance were soon allayed by opener That's What's Wrong with Me, and emphasised by a vocal solo performance of I Wonder Where You Are Tonight.
The camera phones were out for the first of the classic ballads, Wishing On A Star, which was a bigger hit on this side of the Atlantic in 1978 and a song originally earmarked for Barbra Streisand.
Gwen's impassioned performance of Love Don't Live Here Anymore was simply stunning, a real highlight that any self-respecting soul fan would consider worth the two-year wait. It was also a nostalgic treat to again hear that boingy synth drum sound that was such a part of '70s pop and disco.
Fan favourites I Wanna Get Next to You, Ooh Boy, First Come First Serve and the bluesy I'm Going Down also got an airing.
The band proved their funky prowess with a hand-clapping, foot-stomping version of the beep-beep Car Wash anthem which got the audience back on their feet, and that led to a fine finale with the sublime Is It Love You're After, and we settled for a good time.
