Sweet treat from soul queen Candi

CANDI STATON, Manchester International Festival
A HOT and sweaty soul revival happened inside the Pavilion Theatre at Manchester’s Albert Square as American soul and gospel singer Candi Staton preached to the converted as she performed a funky, disco-fuelled medley of her greatest hits.

The Alabama-born singer had spent the previous three days performing one of five religious recitals as part of the Sacred Sites showcase at the Manchester International Festival.

But she kept the Sabbath clear for a feel-good show of her most popular hits.

Accompanied by three backing singers, including her daughter, a horn section, drums, bass, guitar and keyboard, she kicked off the show with Solomon Burke’s sweet soul lament “Don’t You Feel Like Crying” before launching into her lively 1969 hit “I’d Rather Be An Old Man’s Sweetheart Than a Young Man’s Fool”.

Belting out the hits, it was clear that Candi had still got the strength, soul and smoothness in her voice to capture the love and loss of her songs.

But fans were keen to join in and the whole tented theatre sang along with her Grammy nominated renditions of Elvis’s “In The Ghetto” and Tammy Wynettes “Stand By Your Man”, mixed with a little “Stand By Me” by Ben E King, before being taken back to the 1970s with her classic “Young Hearts Run Free”.

The hour-long set was brought to a crowd-pleasing close with 90s dance remix “You Got the Love”.

It took a turn for the weird when reality TV star and Liza Minnelli’s ex David Gest was dragged to the stage to give a helping hand, while the encore returned to Candi’s gospel roots, which lost the audience a little but showcased the band and the direction her music has gone in.