Hannah Jean Wicklund is an American blues rock musician and singer-songwriter from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. There`s a hell of a lot of noise around this artist at the moment and her latest album `War On Women; Calling All Good Men` really sets the bar. The album itself addresses gender inequality, frustrations with the music industry, heartbreak, and the possibility of hope after difficult experiences. Hannah is in the UK for a dozen dates this month with Birmingham being the opener.
Tonight is a mix of older cuts, singles, and a few numbers from her latest release. The show opens with an instrumental before heading into `Hide and Seek` a pounding thumping number which talks about the early stages of a relationship and all its vulnerabilities. `The Pier` from the most recent album is a soulful bluesy slow burn, an emotionally charged reflection about coping with a difficult relationship.
Songs like `Ghost` are delightfully rhythmic while `Whistle To Blow` is full of heartache and `Too Close To You` from back when the artist recorded as Hannah Wicklund and the Steppin Stones is about the overbearing intensity of somebody close. A thumping almost racing foot tapper.
We enjoy a trio of numbers from Hannah`s latest release `War On Women; Calling All Good Men` with `Evil Is a Corporation` a pained and powerful evaluation of corporate greed, the reflective recent single `Marionettes` whose lyrics analyse the historical injustice surrounding women and the conflicting societal views still seen throughout the world today and `Red Gorilla` an environmental and social protest anthem.
The home straight includes a couple of songs from `The Prize` album with the contemplative `Can`t Get Enough` and `Witness` both of which are delightfully intense and really showcase the depth and range of this singer`s vocal range. `Bomb Through The Breeze` kind of closes this hour long set but Hannah decides to share a final number with `Mama Said` a scorching listen which slows down at the midpoint and concludes with Hannah singing through a talk box. It brought back memories for me of Peter Frampton from half a century ago.
Tonight was a powerful hour long set that gave a real flavour of this artist`s musical career with numbers both old and new. The trio created a massive sound with some blistering and scorching guitar riffs from Hannah but combined with some delightfully more absorbed and reflective moments where you could hear a pin drop.
Hannah Wicklund`s trajectory is on a rise and this may well be the last opportunity you have to catch her in such intimate venues.
