November 16, 2014: Those who flocked to Peter White’s early show at the Cinnamon Club, Altrincham were rationed to only one track from his new CD ‘Smile’. However, having later purchased the album at the back of the room, they would quickly realize that here is a collection that returns the incomparable White to his roots of intense rhythm and sublime melody.
This, the latest leg of an autumnal odyssey, that would find him playing shows in Maidstone, Milton Keynes, Southend On Sea and Eastleigh (as well as multiple nights at London’s Pizza Express) was immaculately supported by White’s now regular UK backing band of Frank Felix on bass, Marc Parnell on drums, the invariably excellent Oli Silk on keys and seriously soulful sax-man Carl Stanley. Each of them played a part in aiding White’s whistle stop tour of a discography that grows more amazing with every passing release and which here was showcased not only by the tried and tested blending of ‘Bueno Funk’, the similarly smoking ‘San Diego’ and the superb ‘Bullseye’ but also by classics such as ‘Caravan Of Dreams’ and ‘Midnight In Manhattan’. ‘Costa Rica’, his seminal ‘Who’s That Lady’ and the equally beguiling ‘Walk On By’ also scored hugely with the appreciative crowd and when the tempo eased just a little ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ and ‘Perfect Moment’ proved to be right on the money.