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.
