Perth Festival of the Arts: Review of Katy Moffatt at Perth Theatre

May 27 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THIS Festival engagement was not Katy Moffatt’s first Perth gig.

But for those in the sparsely filled theatre not au fait with the Texan singer-songwriter’s work, Sunday evening was a pleasant revelation of a consummate and versatile performer of American roots music – and a delightful person.

With so few occupied seats in the auditorium, Moffatt could have taken the huff, gone through the motions and ridden off into the sunset.

But she turned the occasion in an intimate gathering of friends – old and newly found – even to the extent of varying her set to accommodate requests.

That set was packed with self-penned numbers, songs co-written by country mega-star Tom Russell and some beautifully arranged covers of classics.

Her sweet vocals embraced clarity and sincerity, both in country and blues mode, while her warm personality exuded a love for her audience and her trade.

As a songwriter Moffat’s themes are varied: charming reflections on childhood and love lost, then hard-hitting commentaries on injustice in its many forms.

Stand-out songs included Santa Anna – the name given to a heat-laden wind which blows in California, the county she now calls home – which showed the performer’s versatility with her dramatic vocal interpretation of the gusting wind; the brilliantly bluesy Can’t Help Loving You; a sensual Miss Otis Regrets; and Ain’t I a Woman?, penned in honour of the power-packed speech of the same name delivered in 1851 by anti-slavery and women’s rights campaigner Sojourner Truth.

Although not a big seller, this Katy Moffatt gig sat well in the Perth Festival programme and reflected the eclectic fayre on offer to audiences.

Alison Anderson