The Kent Stage hosted a pair of artists who have attained a rabid following over their rapidly-ascending careers. Maggie Rose, a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, who performs in Northeast Ohio on a regular basis, and Molly Tuttle, a California-born and bred singer/songwriter steeped in the Americana/Bluegrass traditions.
Each artist played a full set; this tour was a short, eight-stop run, with the Kent show being the penultimate gig. Ms. Rose took the stage at 8:00, playing with her four-piece backing band. Taking up guitar duties was MP Gannon, who sang a few duets with Rose. One of the highlights of their set was a wistful cover of Mike Reid’s “Something To Talk About,”(made famous by Bonnie Raitt in 1991) with Rose and Gannon splitting vocal duties.
Closing her set out with the tune that’s become her signature piece, “No One Gets Out Alive,” Rose’s voice has only gotten better with time. Recent motherhood has become a theme in her work, and it seems her voice has taken on a different timbre since her son was born a little over a year ago.
Molly Tuttle then took the stage after a short reset. Bringing her full band, the outfit offered up seventeen tunes, sprinkling in a few appropriate covers throughout the set. Playing five songs from last year’s So Long Little Miss Sunshine, the set was broad and included tunes from Golden Highway days.
An early-set tune was a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” which got the audience to their collective feet. Many artists who play Kent tackle CSNY’s “Ohio,” and it can sometimes be a tedious affair, but Tuttle and company paid homage to the events of May 4th with reverence.
Closing her set with “Old Me (New Wig),” the crowd begged for more.
Maggie Rose came out for the encore, joining Tuttle for the Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” and a phenomenal rendition of The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek.”
