Girl Talk - Jazzwise

Take three of the UK's finest female vocalists, add a bunch of songs at the oh-so-cheesy end of the spectrum and sprinkle liberally with postmodern irony and that, in a nutshell, is Girl Talk. As camp as Christmas and huge fun, this brassy, sassy and supremely arch review takes a deliciously tongue-in-cheek look at love, marriage and make-up in the 21st century via the hallowed classics of yesteryear. Heard solo and in glorious three-part harmony, Mari Wilson, Barb Jungr and Claire Martin are all fabulous singers in their own right, and by some strange work of alchemy their respective worlds of pop, cabaret and jazz combine seamlessly in this common cause. Of course one can't ignore the fact that some of these songs are in fact completely brilliant. It's great to hear Bacharach and David's "Wives and Lovers", Sondheim's "Ladies Who Lunch" and the evergreen Motown number "It Should've Been Me". Also included are such epics of stereotyping as "A Woman's Touch" ("A touch of paint, one magic nail, can turn a kitchen chair into a Chippendale"), complete with its comedic music hall style arrangement. In the role of MD, accompanist and producer Adrian York performs heroically. The live show, now in its seventh successful year, sounds like an absolute riot. Go see.