Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

As with anything in life there are slow burners and there are instant attention grabbers. The slow burners sparks, splutters and struggles against the prevailing wind but ultimately wins through and burns very bright. Then there are the attention grabbers, the ones that clutches at the heels of the interested viewer, listener, interloper and effects how they look at everything, both are valid and both, if nurtured, will stay long in thoughts of those moved in the musical sensually.

You might only need the briefest of moments, the time between the tick and the tock but somewhere along the line if you are fortunate enough to catch Alexandra Jayne, a woman whose pedigree stretches from her Shropshire/Midlands birth right and the immersion into the life of Liverpool and whose voice is just to die for.

Opening up as part of a set of musicians eager to prove their worth infront of a very busy and packed Zanzibar Club, Alexandra showed just exactly how she has the right type of guts to make the most of her set. She appeared undaunted infront of a crowd that had braved the idea of a December night out and above all to let the microphone, perhaps the most sinister of relationships as it steals the vocalist’s voice away, becomes her friend.

For three songs Alexandra wooed the collected crowd and made sure that by the end of the set that her name would not be forgotten too quickly. There have been some extraordinary female performances in Zanzibar this year, none so much as Greta Borsum as part of a cracking set by the Vinos, the excellent Rachael Wright who oozed class and Sophie Dodd, into this heady mix of female charm and excellent musicianship throw in the name Alexandra Jayne. Her rendition of The Beatles song Helter Skelter was marvellous and added an extra dimension to one of the tracks by the Liverpool music scene’s founding father’s that doesn’t get the true recognition that is deserved.

The young musician also showed her own song writing ability off very well with two tracks that were delightfully played and interesting. The song Better Life is one to hear again and again as is Who I’ve Become which has already been performed on Radio Shropshire. Both these tracks were the perfect entrée in what promised to be a superb night of music in Zanzibar.

Sometimes you do only need to hear one song by a musician to become hooked, in Alexandra Payne’s case the hook was there from the moment she stepped on stage and took on the crowd. A very cool introduction, you can only hope to more.

Ian D. Hall