Review by Lynda Hansen

BRISBANE -- Women in Voice was instigated in 1993 by Annie Deller-Peterson. This performance, Women in Voice 7, on July 20, featured Barb Fordham, Jeannie Lewis, Leah Cotterell, Bronwyn Calcutt, Katrina Alberts and Alison St Ledger.

Each artist performed their favourite songs, steering the captive audience through a journey of emotions from melancholy to sheer inspiration.

Calcutt, equipped with accordion, shared songs from her show “Piaf Sings Freud”. One memorable piece told of how Calcutt kept her lover, the Fuhrer, in a suitcase in East Berlin. Her lover was thoughtfully decapitated for easy storage, making him the perfect travelling companion!

Alberts took time out from her four-piece band, Peculiar Clark, to sing about booze, diet pills and binge eating. Alberts' choice of subject matter is a reminder of the risks an artist takes when dealing with issues that demand more visibility. She managed to balance her way between dark humour and tragedy with sensitivity.

Lewis, a long-time international performer and writer, delighted the crowd with excerpts from her new show The Baglady Hits Out. Cottrell sang a selection of her favourite bluesy numbers.

Unfortunately, Barb Fordham was ill, but understudy Annie Deller-Peterson launched into her recent passion with a series of Bulgarian yodels. This was closely followed by a whimsical version of Patsy Cline's “Crazy”. She also sang the unforgettable country classic “Little But I'm Loud” and a searing version Frankie Lane's “Jezebel”.

The highlight was Alison St Ledger, a regular in Women in Voice productions. St Ledger descended majestically on a kitsch, Hollywood-style luminous crescent moon and sung up a storm with tunes to the power of the moon, including the only palatable version of Police's “Walking on the Moon” I've heard.

The band included musical director Helen Russel on double bass, John Bone playing the violin, Jamie Clark on bass, Steve Francis on percussion and a guest appearance from Robin McCabe. The ensemble provided a professional and unobtrusive accompaniment.

The alternative music and theatre scene has once again been enriched and challenged by the power and talent of Women in Voice. Director/producer Annie Deller-Peterson told Green Left Weekly, “The show is a great opportunity for these women to share some of their favourite material”.

You can catch Women in Voice 7 at this year's Woodfood Folk Festival. Don't miss Deller-Peterson's new production, a celtic folk opera Boadiceain in early 1998.

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