Brown delivers Divine performance

Star Phoenix
Silas Polkinghorne
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Baby, baby, show me something new," sang Divine Brown on Deja Vu, the grinding funk-soul number she used to open her set Monday night at Bessborough Gardens.

Deja vu, indeed. What's new -- and exciting -- about Divine Brown is just how well she channels those singers of old, those singers from the heyday of R&B and soul with names like Aretha.

Toronto's Brown has a five-octave register and the wits about her to use all the torque in that blessed voice she's been given, and still never spin her wheels.

U Shook Me (All Night Long) -- no relation to that AC/DC song, thankfully -- has a just a hint of doo-wop in the bouncy keyboard rhythm that builds anticipation for the simply jaw-dropping, ballady chorus.

Twist My Hair -- another to get rumps up off the grass and moving -- let Brown show off that powerhouse vocal prowess with some scat singing, fl irting up and down the registers.

Heavenly. Divine. Out-of-this-world.

Brown, formerly known as both Divine Earth Essence and Michelle "Boo-Boo" Brown, showed appreciation for the crowd at the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival and also for Saskatoon's homegrown icon with a cover of Joni Mitchell's Help Me.

Brown was just as convincing on the reggaetinged Single Momma (which she is, with a seven-year-old daughter), giving a nod to her Jamaican roots.

Brown is a new pop star with a bushel of talent to back up her songs, which have mass appeal besides. She has presence, charisma and control. She's put in her time doing musical theatre and playing the clubs, and it shows.

Divine Brown has chops to spare, and she lets her voice serve the songs instead of her songs serving the voice.

At deadline time, Brown hadn't gotten to her breakthrough hit, Old Skool Love. But it was coming. And girl, it was gonna be good.

Fellow Canadian act Jacksoul, lead by singer Haydain Neale, played a mix of originals and covers, starting with Style Council's My Ever- Changing Moods. Jacksoul's own Can't Stop was driving and cohesive, the two backup singers harmonizing wonderfully with Neale.

The Guess Who's These Eyes was a little fl at despite the instantly-recognizable melody, and the original tune Somedays was bland.

Neale hit his stride with Blue Rodeo's Try, accompanied by his guitarist on fi nger-picked acoustic. The sound was suddenly intimate and Neale showed off his smooth vocal dynamics.

The band then dove into a deep bass groove and one of a number of wholesome hip-shakers, also including Still Believe in Love.

The set also included a version of Radiohead's High and Dry. Bravo to Jacksoul for choosing some left-fi eld cover tunes and making them work.

Local guitar fiend Tim Vaughn was a formidable opener. He's carving out a sweet sound for himself, somewhere in the nu-soul arena, with some R&B and funkified rock in there, too.

It was all Tim Vaughn's idea.

StarPhoenix
Joanne Paulson
Published: Thursday, June 29, 2006

It was all Tim Vaughn's idea.

The Saskatoon singer and guitarist wanted bring together a large number of Saskatchewan bands for a big, local day of music. He called Kevin Tobin, general manager of the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, and invited him out for coffee.

Let's do it for the festival, Vaughn suggested Tobin.

"He thought it was a great idea," said Vaughn in interview.

The result of Vaughn's efforts will be Celebrate Saskatchewan Day, Saturday in the Delta Bessborough Gardens.

It will be a heck of a deal, too: for $5, music patrons can see nine bands between 3 and about 9:30 p.m. At such a low ticket price, Vaughn is hoping to jam the place.

"I'm just hoping it goes as smoothly as possible," said Vaughn.

"It's going to be a long day for me, but everyone seems to be really into the idea, and it's going to be fun." Early on in the planning, Vaughn started contacting Saskatchewan acts, many of whom he had played with before and "known forever." "I started calling and seeing who could do it. I ended up with this for a line-up." The acts range from the funk/ soul band Stepchyle, to the rocking style of Megan Lane, to Eekwol's hip hop. Vaughn purposely tried to mix things up.

"It's basically just to freshen everything up . . . something for everybody's tastes. More importantly, it's starting to feature some Saskatchewan talent at the festival and devote a day to it . . . because it is the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival," he says, with emphasis on the Saskatchewan.

The artists will be featured in their own sets and will come together in jam sessions, as well. Vaughn expects a lot of combination performances throughout the day -- "some spontaneous, probably, and some planned." This province's musical talent has been developing with speed and style for many years, said Vaughn.

He partly credits Saskatchewan's support of its own musicians, and says bars like Bud's, which hosts a weekly jam, and Lydia's, which is always open to original music, are a big help.

"I see the arts culture being sold to the rest of the country over the next few years, with things like the Junos happening," said Vaughn.

"We have one of the most vibrant musical cultures in Canada, if not the most." Vaughn, at age 20, has been playing professionally for about seven years. He has toured Western Canada a few times with various bands including Mobadass, Stepchyle and Josh Palmer, for whom he co-produced an album.

He plans to play "as much as possible on the stage and beyond" as his career develops.

"I'm probably a singer before anything else," says Vaughn, noting that the guitar is his main non-vocal instrument. "But I love playing piano and bass, messing around on drums."