IMELDA MAY at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), Wednesday (August 3), 9:15 pm. $18.50-$20. HS, RT, SS, TM. See listing
Over halfway into Mayhem, Imelda May’s second album of original jazz, blues and rockabilly songs, is a song called Sneaky Freak about a woman hacking into her partner’s email and generally checking up on him without his knowing it.
When asked if she’s ever spied on her husband’s private life, the sassy and chatty Irish singer pauses before responding.
“Absolutely never,” she says, deadpan, before breaking into a lengthy bout of uproarious laughter.
This down-to-earth cheekiness abounds in her lyrics and vocal delivery, making her part of the rockabilly tradition instead of just a retro revivalist. Although May has been singing semi-professionally since she was 16, she only released her debut full-length, Love Tattoo, in 2008 at the age of 34, which is considerably older than the typical pop star.
“[My age] gives me more to sing about,” she says. “I did this the old-fashioned way. I’m not knocking the way anybody else does it, but I started singing in pubs and clubs, learning from great session musicians.
“When you’ve been gigging for so long and you’re out looking for work – because when you’re self-employed, you’re forced to look for work – when everything goes well, you appreciate it more.”
Things are going well for May these days. Professional support from Jeff Beck and Wanda Jackson, with whom she’s performed several times, including at a gig in Central Park earlier this week, is helping May become as well known in North America as in her homeland. Being signed to Decca, Jackson’s former label, is another mark of success.
“Upstairs at HMV, they were selling off vinyl because it was old-fashioned and CDs were the thing,” she says of her teenage years. “I would go through it and take a chance. If it had Ace, Chess, Capitol, Decca or Embassy on it, I bought it. I didn’t know who the acts were, but if they were on those labels, they were great.”
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