A night to remember?
It may seem perverse to suggest erratic soul diva Lauryn Hill as gig of the week. But if, contrary to indications, she pulls off this closing night of the ENO Voice season, it really will be a night to remember. So it's worth a punt, despite the headlines La Hill has been generating lately.
Her solo appearance at the Vibe music festival in Atlanta was a disaster: two hours late, she went on stage to deliver stumbling renditions of a handful of classics from her Grammy-winning album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.
More encouragingly, she popped up with fellow Fugees Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel as the opening act at June's BET Awards show, where they delivered a storming set and indicated a proper reunion was on the cards.
But she's on her own for this gig: and we just have to hope she doesn't use her MTV Unplugged album, with its shudder-inducing caterwauling and cod philosophy, as her performance template. When she wants to show it, Hill still has the soul-wrenching voice and bewitching stage presence of a superstar. Let's hope she chooses tomorrow night to demonstrate that.
Tomorrow, Coliseum, St Martin's Lane WC2, 7pm, £15 to £45 (returns only). Tel: 020 7845 9555. www.eno.org Tube: Charing Cross/Leicester Square
