Ive loved Missy’s music for a few years and I missed the last few shows she played in LA because i was out of town. Luckily, i was able to catch a few dates off her short U.S. Tour before she was due back in Australia for the Arias…

The thing that struck me the most was how Missy sings the songs- to see her hit the notes and how she changes her voice so close was amazing. I never realized how difficult her songs we to sing and to play by just listening to her record. Her piano playing is like her singing- She uses her voice like an r&b singer changing abruptly from one key to another with so much movement and grace. I was also surprised at the volume in which she sings. The Hotel Cafe is such a small room but there were times when she moved away from the mic and you could still hear her voice at a normal volume.

Missy had a guitar player accompany her and there were a few songs where her producer, Mitchell Froom from “On A Clear Night” came out to play piano with her. I really loved the stripped down versions of the songs. The guitarist added a more interesting dynamic to the set. I didn’t expect “Scar” to sound so different with just a guitar accompanying. I think it would’ve been ten times better if their was a cellist but having one guitarist and Mitchell Froom guest playing on Piano on some of the songs really made a difference.

I loved her in depth storytelling of the stories behind the songs like angela, steer, going north, secret, forgive me, and scar.

Set List:

Intro:
Nightminds: This is one of my favorite songs off of “The Sound of White” and I was really hoping she would play it.
Sugarcane:
Katie:
Ten Days:
Peachy: i love how she says Peachy. it sounds lush and sweet (like a peach).
This Is How It Goes: (this track rocks live)
Going North (w/ Mitchell Froom): This song is about rediscovering the simplicity in life and searching for the inner child in things.
Any Day Now (solo):
Forgive Me (solo): a song about a father asking his family for forgiveness
Where I Stood: this was breathtaking live.
Secret: she told the story about how someone told her that the best songs are the simple ones. So she decided to follow his advice and write a song with one string.
Angela: im not a really big fan of this song but she told the story of how she saw a photo in a hotel room of Clark Gabel and vivien leigh (the gone with the wind image) and how she was actually a foxy minx. MIssy named this character became Angela.
The Wrong Girl (w/ Mitchell Froom & Bonnie McKee)
The Special Two: Another fav. song of mine off her debut. absolutely beautiful.
Scar: you could really see that she was having fun with this one
Steer: My favorite song off of the new record. She told the story of her on vacation in a northern part of Australia where the beaches was red and the stars were extremely bright. She said that the song was about feeling insignificant in the greater scheme of things and that it felt like she was in control of her life. This one of those songs that is on the Soundtrack to My Life and every time i hear it, it takes me back to a specific mindset and place.

i also wanted to hear “unbroken” and “the sound of white” but that didn’t happen. When several people started requesting songs she said that she wasn’t taking requests tonight. I’m surprised Missy hasn’t already exploded over here. I’ve been a fan since the first record and her music is extremely soundtrack friendly and i can see her songs being used on Grey’s Anatomy in the upcoming months. Her two nights at Hotel Cafe was sold out well in advanced and a lot of people couldn’t so many decided to attend her sets at Borders which was to promote an exclusive release of “On A Clear Night”. I was so blown away by such a great set that i decided to go to her Border’s Westwood performance and see her again. All the songs she played were from her second disc and she was nice enough to play a few more songs because the audience was so large.

Songs played from what i can remember:

Sugarcane
Secret
Where I Stood
Angela
Going North
Warm Whispers
Steer

Missy at Borders: