Here is a great review from Bryan Peterson from The Shetland Times from our first night there...
After a short break it was time for Welsh songstress Cherry Lee Mewis and her band. Although only 23 years old and five foot tall, Cherry Lee dominated the stage from the moment she strode on, with an assuringly confident yet unaffected attitude.
Her accomplished band of two acoustic guitarists, acoustic bassist and unassuming drummer were the perfect vehicle for the singer, capably switching between mouth-wateringly smooth blues tunes and rousing R&B romps.
The previously reserved audience warmed to Cherry Lee immediately and within a couple of numbers she had the crowd chanting and stomping along to a rendition of Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz, breaking the ice and ensuring the formerly vacant dance floor was filled with appreciative revellers for the rest of her set.
As Cherry Lee shimmied and strutted her stuff I was reminded of the compact power of early Tina Turner and, dare I say it, Suzi Quatro, but with a controlled vocal nod towards songbirds such as Emmylou Harris.
And when Cherry Lee told me she had lived a few miles from Duffy, current queen of dinner party pop soul, I couldn't help thinking how fickle and unjust the music business can be. But Miss Mewis certainly has the potential for chart success. One to watch.
Cheers Bryan! And this one from Laura Friedlander for our final gig...
Cherry Lee Mewis is 23 years old, five foot nothing, but has a voice that belies her diminuitive size. Gutsy and definitely bluesy, there is no other way to describe it, as she began her set with a great rendition of Cherry Wine. She did real justice to well known tracks such as Shame, Shame, Shame and Lord Wont You Buy Me (a Mercedes Benz) ably backed by guitarist Max Milligan who has worked with Cherry on several of her own compositions including Ugly Night, which features on her new album Little Girl Blue.
Cherry played the audience well, bantering between tracks and giving an adapted version of Memphis Nights which became Shetland Nights. She admitted that her blues influences came from old and new sources and there was evidence of Norah Jones sitting alongside much older blues artists such as Robert Johnson. Cherry has been described as the "real deal" in bringing a new and fresh approach to blues music in the UK.
She rounded off her set by giving an excellent reprise of Cherry Wine, so that the act came full circle. I think the blues circuit in the UK and further afield will be hearing much more of her.
Thanks to Laura! We all had a fantastic time, here's to next year's festival!
Ciao for now!
Cherry x