BWW Reviews: RACHEL TUCKER, St James Theatre, July 25 2013

Originally billed as the album launch for ex-Wicked star Rachel Tucker's long awaited debut, the release date has since been pushed back until August 10th. The concert went ahead as planned and offered fans the first ever listen to what has been selected for the album.

Opening with the title track from the album, Celine Dion's The Reason, Tucker gave the performance such energy I was worried she would have nothing left to give for the rest of her 60-minute set. Thankfully though this was not something I should have been concerned about as she delivered the same amount of passion throughout.

Between songs Tucker explained the song choice for her album and also that it has been six years in the making. She talked a little about her career background and why she felt some of the songs she had selected were relevant. Her second track on the album Ed Sheeran's Small Bump, a reference to giving birth earlier this year, is one of the more personal tracks on the album.

Even as she explained why she has picked the songs, the track My Immortal by alternative rock band Evanescence by does not seem to sit well next to One Night Only from the show Dreamgirls. The tracklist is meaningful to her but to a casual listener sounds completely random. However, I get the impression that this album was made for the fans rather than Tucker wanting to embark on a pop career.

Tickets for this intimate performance in the 100-seater St James Theatre studio room sold out in minutes so it was fitting that it seemed to be an audience of dedicated fans, friends and family. The atmosphere in the venue as a result was fantastic. Before the performance began we were asked to refrain from any kind of recording or taking photographs which everybody respected. During quiet moments in songs you could have heard a pin drop. There is a track referred to simply as Duet With My Dad, which is just as it sounds. She explained as a child she used to do the cabaret circuit in Belfast with her dad and they then performed a 1940s-style medley which managed to be just on the right side of cheesy. She finished the evening with an incredible version of Defying Gravity which received a well deserved standing ovation.

Rachel Tucker gave a strong performance and she is undoubtedly a huge talent. But I can't help feeling that she deserves some original material rather than being another theatre star releasing another album of cover songs. However, during one of the song introductions she joked that if she released an album that she had written herself, it would have been a ten-year wait instead of six.

Rachel Tucker is back at St James Theatre on October 13th and her album is available to preorder.

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