It was that kind of night.

When I walked into a club full of frat boys and their giggly counterparts, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle for Charlotte Martin. I felt pity for her before she even hit the stage. With a house full of people there to see another band on the bill, she was going to have to work hard to get their attention.

A lone piano sat amid the madhouse of various instruments set up on the stage. Shortly after 7:30pm, Charlotte came out, sat down at the piano, and opened her soul. Other than a young man playing hand percussion on 3 songs, Martin played a strictly solo set. At some points, she pounded on the piano or the microphone itself to add percussive effects. Freed from the confines of production and studio musicians, Martin performed the way she was meant to be seen: one woman and a piano. She had full control of the entire set, alternating between soaring vocals and lush stacks of chords to practically wrestling thundering emotional sounds from the keys. Martin's command over her amazing voice allowed her to showcase a range of dynamics. At some points, almost tortured howling came from the little body on the bench; other times, she filled the club with light, beautiful, almost majestic vocals. Her performance was simple, from the sparse lighting to the lack of vocal and instrumental effects. It felt pure, raw, emotional, and creative. You could feel the sense of freedom Martin had, free to perform the songs the way she wrote them, the way she meant them to be played. She grabbed the crowd's attention quickly and they listened politely, if not closely. Playing only a short opening set, Martin stuck to songs from On Your Shore, her recent album. Introducing every song, she sometimes spoke of the meaning behind the song, giving it a VH-1 Storytellers feel. Other times, she simply thanked the crowd for being there and listening. Over the course of the set, the young audience began to show their appreciation. After every song, they clapped a little louder and longer.

It’s hard not to draw the obvious comparison between Martin and Tori Amos. The influence is easy to hear, and even some of Amos' concert mannerisms can be seen in Martin. If you stop there, and discount her simply as a Tori Amos pretender, then you are wrong. You miss out on a powerful performer with endless growth potential who is starting to find her own footing in the music business. At the end of her set, Martin thanked everyone for coming and for sticking through her set. It's comforting to see that in this day and age of pre-packaged acts that are created in record company boardrooms, people still support true artists. Charlotte Martin is one of those artists, a rising star, and it's definitely worth your time to catch her the next time she's in town.

www.charlottemartin.com

Photos by: "photos taken with Jeremy's camera phone so cut him some slack!"