AS PART of the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the smal-lest venue used, the unique Birkenhead Priory, was host to a superb evening from the supremely-talented Helen Watson - who enchanted the audience with two most varied sets, touching on jazz, blues, folk, soul and more! From the heady days of her big-label debut album Blue Slipper, recorded in Los Angeles in 1987 and featuring a host of top session players, through her own band and collaborations with the likes of Christine Collister and Chris While, her beautiful voice has remained as good as ever, gracing a most diverse choice of covers - from Slim Harpo to Peggy Lee and Bruce Springsteen to George Jones. Armed with just her acoustic guitar and rack harmonica she chose to start with a beautiful a capella version of the blues standard You Got To Move, then picking up the guitar for the Sun label classic, Junior Parker's Mystery Train and the wry She Still Thinks I Care from the pen of country legend George Jones. This was another great night at this most diverse of festivals - the organisers are lucky to have such fine venues to use. I certainly have never been to a gig in a building, parts of which date back to 1106! | 
