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Lindi Ortega

Venue: 12 Bar
Town: London
Date: 25th January
Website: http://www.lindiortega.ca/

"Somewhere in an old 1960's apartment building in the city of Toronto, Canada, a well worn pair of cherry red cowboy boots wait by the door."

In much the same way as Gary Larson's Far Side dog Ginger heard his master's commands as "blah blah Ginger blah blah blah …" I read this as "blah blah cherry red cowboy boots blah blah blah". I know I should be above going to a gig based on someone's footwear choice but I've gone less information than that plenty of times before. Nor, was I the first person to be taken by Lindi Ortega's boots. During a tour supporting Kevin Costener and the Modern West when many people were commenting on them she wrote the title track to her debut album (Little Red Boots).

A good proportion of the show came from the album: 'Angel', 'Dying Of Another Broken Heart', and 'Bluebird' were all delivered with a hint of a Dolly Parton style warble but completely devoid of any of the saccharine sweetness that often accompanies country sweetness. 'All My Friends' may well have been about "late night debauchery and dubious friends" and, being half Mexican and half Irish, may well like tequila and Guinness (as well as potatoes and burritos, and leprechauns and Speedy Gonzales!) but Ortega is not some ladette and nor is she downtrodden. She is very much the honest, modern face of country music.

Good as her album tracks are it was the three new tracks she played that were most impressive. 'Use Me' is her pronouncement that she is better than any drug, 'Little Bit High' was written with Bruce Wallace after both had had lousy days. 'Cigarette and Truckstops', her final track of the set, really was saving the best 'till last. It is a big ballad written about the pain of long distance love, about being unable to be next to someone because you are hundreds of miles apart - that is the type of pain I know and she captured it perfectly. I don't know how long there is to wait for her next album but in the meantime I hope someone gets it up onto YouTube soon!

John 'The Jacket' Hawes