Live review from Underground 109:
Setlist:
1. September
2. Better Go Down Upon Your Marrow Bones
3. Tangled Up and Blue [Bob Dylan cover]
4. I Used to Live Here
5. Some Trace of Her
6. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It) [Rolling Stones cover]
The night began with one of the few solo acts at the Underground, and also with someone returning to our stages after a long time. Jingan Young, with her deep, husky and versatile voice is a true pleasure to watch. Charming on stage, and with superlative pipes, her songs are catchy, interestingly written. She has quite a range, and some of the high notes she hit, in songs like September and Some Trace of Her. Unusually (in a great way) for a female singer-songwriter, she uses her guitar as more than chordal accompaniment; there are some short-but-assertive solos, and chords to create texture in the interludes, but her chordwork in general is active, and just a tad ahead of the beat, which gives her tunes a palpable liveliness. Better Go Down… in particular is a particular success; it’s well-composed, has a stop-start structure that digs itself into your brain, and the delivery was flawless. Her Dylan cover was oddly melodic in a good way, and a rockin’ cover of the Rolling Stones with an entra-long note held at the end closed out the night. While her voice and singing style is reminiscent of KT Tunstall, her songwriting style and on-stage demeanour are evocative of the wonderful Tilly, who used to be part of our local scene (except for the barefoot thing). In all, there are few better ways to start a show than with a performance as captivating as this.
— Shashwati Kala
Live Review from Underground 78:
The evening got off to a strong start with singer-songwriter Jingan Young. Hong Kong born and raised but just returned after years abroad, Jingan’s got a really nice voice and plays acoustic guitar well. The four original songs that she performed all seemed to be directed at former lovers and her one cover, K.T. Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” mixed in well. Spike
