Edinburgh Fringe 2010: BARB JUNGR

 BARB JUNGR

With Simon Wallace on piano

ASSEMBLY @ George Street, Supper Room  ****

16 – 22 Aug       TICKETS

Reviewed by David Kerr

Barb Jungr comes across as very chatty jolly lady; your best friend’s talented mum.  This easygoing manner doesn’t apply when it comes to delivering her songs.

In this show Barb, accompanied by Simon Wallace on piano, has a wonderful knack of bringing new depths of meaning to songs you already love and think you know. Take the Monkees song, I’m a Believer.  Barb’s interpretation wrings every syllable of pathos from what is normally just hum-along background wallpaper.  It’s electrifying.

This pure, simple entertainment is a condensed version of her new album, The Men I Love.  These songs cover the whole gamut of the reality love, hope, dashed expectations wit h covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Gram Parsons and the place where Barb goes for redemption, Leonard Cohen.

If you enjoy the show, and you’d have to have a heart of stone not to like it, you can get the chance to buy a CD afterwards. 

**** four stars