Ghetto Songbird- WOW bringing Rock N Roll from Philly to London!

Ghetto Songbird- Samantha Hollins

Last week at the Troubadour we experienced an absolute blast of pure rock from U.S. singer Samantha Hollins AKA Ghetto Songbird- a huge Hendrix fan who delivered her set with undeniable poise and passion.

This former poet has taken her career to a whole new level through swapping poetry for lyrical content, commanding the electric guitar and growing a fanbase in her home country the U.S.A.

Ghetto Songbird captures herself in her logo, a phoenix Goddess, complete with afro, rising from the ashes of the ghetto- what you see is what you get, delivered in her unique voice that spans a huge register of notes, all powerfully delivered. The majority of  songs performed were original, speaking about different aspects of life and spirit.

We were treated to a cover of Eurythmics, ‘Here comes the rain again,’ which was quite stunning. Ghetto Songbird’s voice is rich and well suited to Annie Lennox style of singing; Being an artist of quality Ghetto Songbird switched the song to her own style and included a sudden change of pace to keep us on our toes. The night also included tributes to Ghettos Songbird’s favourite idols: Jimi Hendrix-‘Foxy Lady,’ and Prince, ‘Let’s go crazy,’ pleasing her new found audience.

‘Alley of The Earth,’- a strong opening number and title track from Ghetto Songbird’s current E.P. This was a good indicator of the quality of her songs and set the performance pace. It struck me that to be able to sing solo on stage and deliver Rock and Roll without a band is quite an achievement! Alley of The Earth deals with the daily vacuum in which we live and the challenges that will drag us down unless we follow Ghetto Songbird’s advice and re-connect with the earth whilst initiating the spiritual side of our being to take control, raising our outlook and vibration.

‘Stoned on Love,’ (E.P.) -first impression- takes you straight to that hazy place where all thought becomes scrambled and you see everything from only one perspective- heaven!  There is such a freedom within the vocals as they skip around and harmonize beautifully in places; underpinned by a solid rock accompaniment.

I just love the imaginative track titles Ghetto Songbird comes up with. We were treated to: Electric Ladybyrd- can you imagine the guitar capturing that? 3^rd Eye Of The The Sky, Puxsploitation – basically a rainbow burst of imagination delivering an assortment of challenging thoughts, often  encapsulated in Ghetto Songbird’s unique brand of humour. I particularly liked the title’, ‘Lipstick, heels and a bottle of wine,’ set for a great night without a doubt?

People’s attention was caught - GASP- when Ghetto Songbird announced her last song as many of us thought she had said the infamous MF word- no folks, we got it wrong, it was in fact Mother Sucker, Blood Sucker- you know, that vampire who drains you to the very core, so maybe not that wrong after all! I have to give extra credit here for Ghetto Songbird’s extraordinary guitar solo during which she seriously showcased her skills- very impressive.

Quick review of additional tracks included on the E.P:

 ‘East of The Same,’ speaks about refusal to go back into a dark place of pain and hurt- once again, something we can all relate to. Here Ghetto Songbird makes interesting use of an almost discordant set of sounds that convey strong dislike towards remaining in the same unsatisfactory state. ‘East of The Same,’ is a very heavy track to deliver with an equally heavy message; the importance of freeing yourself from those burdens that keep you imprisoned within yourself.

‘Sirens,’ yes you can hear them weaving throughout the music and of course, they are the background to everyday life. This song is very powerful and lying behind the sirens is our natural guidance system that wails at us now and again- spot on Ghetto Songbird! So watch out, you never quite know what’s coming your way.

Finally, it was a real pleasure meeting this talented artist and I look forward to Ghetto Songbird’s next visit when she will be bringing her band! Final thought: Big Hair, Big Voice, Huge Impact!

Jaz McKenzie~ The Word Magician

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