ROBERT PALMER : Music & Style

Last week's rock show at the Richmond Mosque presented two distinct styles of music by two artists at varied moments in their careers. Robert Palmer is getting in one last tour before sitting down to write his fourth album, while Gary Wright is touring to support the recent release of Light Of Smiles.

Palmer opened the show with an hour long set that didn't really catch fire until the second half. Commenting on the laid back beginning he later said, "As a professional that's one of the things you have to work through. Every night can't be perfect."

The rhythm section of Palmer's band was flat at first, but as they picked up so did the music. Palmer has two new band members, Jimmy Johnson on drums and Neil Hubbard on guitar. Percussionist Jody Linscott, bassist Pierre Brock and keyboardist Jimmy Smith continue to support Palmer's claim of hiring "experts as doing specifically what I need."

The background singers Palmer had last tour were not present. "In this size place the simpler and neater it is the better it comes across," he explained. "The drummer, bass player and guitarist have started singing recently. The sound they have is a bit more solid than the girls' voices, more butch."

In places, each set of singers was preferable. The female voices were missed on Man Smart, Woman Smarter and One Last Look while the new make vocalists sounded better on What Can You Bring Me and Hard Head.

Palmer's singing was as captivating as ever. His refined phrasing and controlled timbre slipped only once, when What Can You Bring Me almost became a belting blues number. The enthusiastic crowd response for songs from Sneakin' Sally to Some People supported Palmer's confidence in himself and his music.

Palmer's ambition and conscious design show through in his explanation of opening for Gary Wright. "It occured to me that with my next album release I'm going to be playing mostly 6,000 seat halls. I really haven't had the experience of that, and yet, I can't get the experience unless I have the opportunity of doing something like this."

The pop electronic music of Gary Wright is quite different from the soul and reggae influenced style of Palmer. Both, however, create similar moods in their audience and both bring the self-proclaimed groupies in droves (...)

Robert Palmer and Gary Wright combined for a well balanced evening of music. According to Palmer, "Some nights are his, some are mine." That evening in the Mosque belonged to both of them.

Scott Milburn (The Cavalier Daily - March 1977)