Live Review: Jessica Mauboy, Caiti Baker

Caiti Baker kicks things off with some songs that are new and some that are yet to be released, so tonight we’re hearing a lot of fresh material from her. For anyone who’s ever seen Baker before, it’s clear that she’s embraced a new musical identity with a different sound for her next chapter. She’s more confident and self-assured than ever before and this really shows through in her performance.

“I write songs that are full of love to offset the heaviness in the world,” Baker says as she unleashes her genre-mixed set inspired by ‘90s R&B, blues and new jack swing with help from Lady K scratching on the decks by her side. Together they pay homage to these music inspirations that she grew up on with a song called Hypnotise. Baker loves to move around the stage, so she encourages us to join in with a few moves in our seats as she ends her set with her interpretation of a couple of covers including Little Walter’s Mellow Down Easy and Silverchair’s Freak – completely re-worked into a bluesy number to suit her style and really showcase her vocals.

Before Jessica Mauboy takes to the stage, fans are treated to a sneak peek preview of an animated video clip for her new single coming out in May. It’s the Boss Lady Tour and Mauboy arrives on stage ready to get down to business wearing a long red leather coat. With backup dancers by her side, she dives right into her anthology of hits spanning her 14-year music career.

“The Boss Lady Tour means everything to reconnect with you all. I’ve been working on some new stuff and some of it I can play tonight,” Mauboy reveals. The Boss Lady is a fitting tour title given how far she’s come since being a runner-up on Australian Idol in 2006, the multi-ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, Voice coach, ambassador and role model is an accomplished artist who continues to push it to the next level.

Her new era is empowering and liberating. One new song called Aphrodite is a powerful, confidence-boosting track that serves as an anthem for building back up to be yourself. Another couple of new songs, including her most recent single Glow, are super funky disco-infused dance tracks produced by Cosmo's Midnight and are a match made in heaven. To round out the first part of the set, Mauboy throws in a remix cover of one of her favourite songs, Show Me Love by Robin S.

Pic by Monique Pizzica

“This show has been two years in the making and I feel like it’s a dream to actually be here performing to a full house tonight,” exclaims Mauboy. After a quick outfit change, She moves into the next part of her musical back-catalogue that features more of her R&B, hip hop style.

We reach Mauboy’s favourite part of show where she takes things down a notch to sit with her band for a chat and some improvised acoustic performances of some of her beloved country-pop hits. She takes us back to her roots of humble beginnings in Darwin with one of the first songs she wrote when she was just 14 years old (Let Me Be Me). Her band all sing together for an intimate heartfelt moment, and they share stories of their friendship.

She switches it up for a bit with Gotcha from The Sapphires soundtrack and runs her impressive vocals as low down and as quiet as possible before bringing it right back up again for a huge finale with back-to-back biggest pop hits including old forgotten crowd favourites Saturday Night and Inescapable. By this point, the audience can no longer resist the urge to stay in their seats and give in to the temptation of standing up and letting loose with their best dance moves for a big send-off.

Pic by Monique Pizzica