Shawn Colvin & Mary Chapin Carpenter, Festivall Hall, London 10/22/12

Shawn Colvin & Mary Chapin Carpenter turned the Festival Hall into a living room last night with their between song banter, manual tuning, and gave it a 70s hippy vibe not a million miles from what artists like Crosby & Nash dished up, making it a wonderful night of wooden music. Shawn is decidely ‘kookie-kutter’ while Chapin is just the consummate artist but their friendship and camaraderie is there for all to see. We got a fair number of covers starting with opener, “Catch The Wind” as well as Steve Earles’ finest “Someday”, but also beautiful takes on “What To Keep & What To Throw Away”, “Chasing What’s Already Gone”, “Transcendental Reunion” and a couple of others from “Ashes & Roses” as well as “All Fall Down” from Shawn’s latest as well as a stunning “Diamond In The Rough” from her debut “Steady On” from way back when, as well as “Round Of Blues” from the “Fat City” follow-up. However has “This Shirt” ever sounded better, or the fine finale “The Hard Way”? They gave us full value with an hour and forty minutes before the enthralled audience brought them back for almost half and hour of encores including a simply gorgeous “Shotgun Down The Avalanche”. Superb!!!!!