For the Kimberley stop off in this mini-tour the weather co-operated fully. It was a gorgeous spring weekend with the April showers descending on the Driftwood Concert House just as the concert began. For this last concert of the Driftwood Concert House Spring Series Christa Couture and Jess Hill, both ladies from Vancouver, treated the audience to a fine selection of original material. Of the two performers Jess Hill (guitar and vocals) who opened the evening, was closer to the folky singer /song writing tradition of the likes of Joni Mitchell. The songs, tunes, words and delivery may have been different   but this was familiar territory. During her performance she, in part, explored her fascination with moths. One of the songs, An Open Letter to My Heart, she used the insect’s behavior as a metaphor for her love life. The imagery revolved around a moth’s navigational skills being dominated by the light of the moon in much the same way as in human emotions “Love still lights the way”. In both instances a miscalculation can lead to getting lost or even burnt.  Another song, with a slight blues inflection, was the result of a lay over in Paris on a long trip back from Africa. This is her mother’s favorite and it is easy to see why.  A couple of the nice lines in the song included ” I’ve got to be sure my shadow keeps up with me” and “a shadow makes good company”. In the audience participation number the chorus of the song “My, oh My Baby” got an immediate response without too much coaxing. The lines “fox in the meadow and the wolf in the woods” and “It’s no surprise the stars have eyes” were also nice images. A nice feature of her guitar accompaniments was her delicate finger picking.

The poster had Christa Couture (vocals, guitar and piano) defined as a  Chanteuse. The New Penguin English Dictionary’s definition of the word is: “Chanteuse /shon’tuhz-/ noun (pl Chanteuses) a female nightclub or cabaret singer”.  In the vernacular she would be described as a singer/song writer. However, the word Chanteuse with its urbane nuance, is probably a more accurate reflection of her material and delivery. Songs included You Know I Don’t Play Piano, Parasite, and The Boy Down the Bayou. In the very near future Christa will be  off on a tour of the EU and the UK.  Almost as we speak her latest CD The Living Record is being released (April 29th, 2013) in the UK. Here are some more images from The Driftwood Concert House and the evenings performance.

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