by Paul Vale

There is a celebratory air as Judith Owen takes to the Pheasantry stage. Not only is the talented vocalist preparing to release her latest album but it is also her birthday, an event Owen marks by allowing her audience of fans the opportunity to request favourite numbers.

To begin with, however, we have an insistent, rhythmic rendition of Eye Of The Tiger, given a greater urgency here and precipitating what turns out to be a deeply emotional journey in song. Owen’s banter between numbers rarely seems wholly relaxed, possibly not helped by a portion of the audience refusing to keep quiet.

Owen wears her heart on her sleeve and her difficulties with depression, family life and addiction are an important feature in her songwriting. Indeed, Some Kind Of Comfort, the title song of the new album is an oblique reference to how, in many different ways, we all self-harm in order to find inner peace.

Owen is joined on the stage by the accomplished Laurence Cottle on electric bass and the sublime cellist Gabriella Swallow, both providing a perfect accompaniment to Owen at the piano.

Certainly the livelier section of the evening’s entertainment is when audience members suggest songs. The feisty Walking The Dog moves the tempo up apace whereas Shine, a touching musical tribute to Owen’s talented sister, is both a popular and moving choice. There is also the melancholic I’ve Never Been To Texas and Here But It Is My Father’s Voice, dedicated to her Welsh, opera-singing father, which brings the evening to an eloquent and thankfully positive conclusion.