Aimee Mann certainly has it all. Her unique voice, deep sensibility, superb writing skills and rare effortless beauty (she could make a bin-liner look haute couture) have all created someone who can call her own shots, delineating her own brand of acoustic folk/pop in the notoriously pressurised world of commercial music.
Mann took the stage with that unassuming air born of absolute self-assurance and let her strong voice loose on the packed house of devoted fans. Soon - maybe too soon - she introduced Michael Penn, the guitar-playing singer-songwriter she married in 1998, and her co-artist on the "Acoustic Vaudeville" tour. These two were ably supported by another guitarist/backing vocalist, a drummer and a superb keyboardist, while Mann supplied bass herself, injecting the brilliantly arranged music with melodic punch and sway.
It quickly became clear that Michael Penn was sharing centre stage with Mann, who actually seemed to take a back seat. Song after song turned out to be his, with Mann singing backing harmonies. They were good solid songs, but I wanted more of Aimee Mann belting out her tunes.
What we did get of her - including beautiful tracks from her new album, Bachelor No 2, as well as classics like Save Me, from the Magnolia soundtrack, was superb. The frequent appearance of American comedian Patton Oswalt on-stage (his act is the support) served well to lighten the mood and stop us from getting too introverted and maudlin in the presence of such deep songs. And, hey - despite my own and others' disappointment at not seeing Aimee Mann toute seule, the troupe still got a standing ovation, compelling them to play two encores.
