On The Lakefront
You’re probably wondering why I’m writing about the soulful, country-dipped, rock n’ roll blended, New Orleans bluesy sound of Amanda Shaw on a blog called Ken’s Alternate Universe. Well, in all honesty it’s because I like Miss Shaw’s work. Plus, she and I both call Louisiana home and I never hesitate to promote anyone or anything from the Pelican State.
I had the good fortune of seeing Miss Shaw and her band, The Cute Guys, perform on Saturday, May 5th at the Louisiana Pirate Festival (formerly known as Contraband Days) in Lake Charles. In all of the years that I’ve listened to Miss Shaw’s music and followed her career, I never got the chance to see her live. I finally did and she didn’t disappoint.
Miss Shaw played tunes that ranged from the country rock of the Charlie Daniels Band (The Devil Went Down To Georgia) to the punk sounds of The Clash (Should I Stay Or Should I Go). She performed multiple tunes from her new release, Please, Call Me Miss Shaw (including Dirty Blonde and Holiday) and fan favorites like Pretty Runs Out, Adieu Rosa, and Red Plastic Cup.
Shaw flawlessly flowed from upbeat dance numbers to traditional sounding country tunes and held the crowd’s attention for the entire time. She capped off the evening with Johnnie Can’t Dance, a well known tune throughout southern Louisiana composed by Michael Doucet (Beausoleil) and Wayne Toups (Wayne Toups and ZydeCajun) and made popular by Toups. While I didn’t keep a close eye on the clock, I’d say that her show ran for roughly one hour and twenty minutes.
After the show, Miss Shaw met with fans and had copies of her latest disc for purchase. I got a selfie with her (although it wasn’t until after I left that I noticed the giant RESTROOMS sign behind us) and picked up a copy of her album. Pick up a copy for yourself. I’m particularly fond of How Lucky You Are. Shaw’s voice sounds like a wonderful blend of Dolly Parton and Lorrie Morgan on that track.
Miss Shaw was extremely nice and thanked each and every person for coming out to see her. If she’s ever in the neighborhood again, I plan on making it to her show. If you like artists that don’t necessarily fit one specific mold but can comfortably execute tunes from multiple genres, check out Amanda Shaw! Visit her website here for more information about her and her upcoming shows.
Thanks for reading this quick post. I will continue to add more music based posts reviewing everything from albums to concerts as I continue on this wild and wonderful blogging journey.
If you’ve seen Amanda Shaw live or enjoy her music, let me know in the comments!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 