Beth Hart

Any singer of the blues needs to be able to sing from a place of truth in order for their message to be put across in genuine fashion, and that’s certainly the case where Beth Hart’s concerned. In her younger years, her passion for pursuing a career in music was often tempered by a debilitating drug addiction; eventually, though, it would be her love of the blues, fuelled by her difficult experiences, that would win out. In the late nineties, she had her first real hit, ‘LA Song (Out of this Town)’ off of her second studio album, ‘Screamin’ for My Supper’; it went to number one in New Zealand. As it happened, at the time, Hart was starring as Joplin off-Broadway - one listen to the sheer power of her voice makes you understand why she was a natural choice for that role.

In the years since, Hart’s fanbase has steadily grown on both sides of the Atlantic, and her recorded output has included the Danish chart-topper ’37 Days’ in 2007 and its follow-up, 2010’s critically-lauded ‘My California’. She’s also made two records with modern-day blues icon Joe Bonnamassa - a pairing that any blues fan worth their salt will tell you is a match made in heaven. In the UK, Hart’s burgeoning reputation was cemented in 2014, when she performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London.