Montaigne
Metro Theatre
Sydney, AU
August 12, 2017
Michel de Montaigne was one of the most significant philosophers on the French Renaissance known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre.
He is also know for posthumously inspiring Jessica Cerro, a Sydney-based singer-songwriter graced with a powerful vocals range to inhabit stages with her theatrical, comfortable and eccentric stage presence.
Tonight at the Metro Theatre was no exception:
She won the audience over – not that much resistance was to be overcome - by exuding her affable charm and by effortlessly swinging up and down the vocal scale and conveying a range of emotions from angst via dealing with day-to-day frustrations to more joyous heights – from exorcising meanderings through emotional wastelands of heartbreak to inspired odes to (self-) empowerment.
Backed by a full band, the performance was embedded in full and rich soundscapes that accentuated her elastic voice.
While the performance at times seemed like a colourful patchwork of the different facets, comprised of left-of-centre melodies reminiscent of Sigur Ros and vocal operatics inspired by the likes of Regina Spektor and Florence Welch, that make up Montaigne’s personality and musical versatility, she has grown to refine the art of harnessing all individual parts to tell a coherent story of her own.
An artist that is enjoyable on every level – from music via vocal, the themes of her songs and the mélange of it all – and whose career has only just begun.
Michel de Montaigne might have preferred to quote other in order to better express himself – Montaigne’s strength is self-expression to an extent that will have others quoting her.
