Songstress Nikki Nicholls paid tribute to the prolific life of Carole King in her show ‘You’ve got a Friend – the songs and story of Carole King with a touch of James Taylor’ at the Palms At Crown Melbourne. She was supported by the fabulous members of the King’s Rule band: Adrian Scott, Steve Wade, Paul Gildea, Rick Petropoulos and Fallon Williams 111.
Nikki herself is no stranger to the limelight, working with entertainment stars like John Farnham and Kylie Minogue while becoming enthralled with King’s music. Nikki has spent many years paying homage to Carole King’s hits. This has resulted in a much loved show that highlights the hits that Carole herself either performed or wrote.
Carole played for many years with the James Taylor band. She wrote successful songs for The Beatles, The Drifters, Blood Sweat & Tears, Herman’s Hermits and many more.
As a tribute to Carole’s collaborative relationship she had with the James Taylor band, Steve Wade performed some of James Taylor’s most loved songs. These included ‘How Sweet It Is’, ‘Fire and Rain’, ‘Carolina On My Mind’ and ‘Steamroller Blues’.
I was very surprised to learn that familiar songs like ‘I Feel the Earth Move and ‘Locomotion’ – songs that I heard as covers while growing up were in fact written by Carole King. They certainly got the audience up and dancing. Let’s face it who can resist doing the Locomotion? Out of all the songs Nikki performed I really enjoyed her channelling Carole’s essence while singing ‘A Natural Women’ and ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’.
Throughout the night Nikki provided wonderful insights into the highlights and tragedies of Carole’s personal life and career. It was clear these life events played out a lot through her music.
The finale saw Nikki performing the titled song ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ with such passion and intensity that the audience erupted into cheers and adulation.
– Angela
Angela is a lover of music and all things musical.
The Palms At Crown has an impressive line-up of entertainment throughout the year.
The venue is accessible.
