On this 1974 London concert recording, the emcee introduces Bell as "the lady who's just been voted the number one female singer in Britain." Really, don't you think Dusty Springfield or Sandy Denny might have had something to say about that? Bell was a competent soul-rock singer, nothing more. The same might be said of her backing band, who lay down serviceable but rather colorless, rote R&B-rock grooves. On top of that, add a set that features little original material, and none-too-imaginative interpretations of an eclectic assortment of covers, including Free's "Wishing Well" and a depressingly stereotypical 1974 bar band arrangement of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There." It adds up to 74 minutes that are hard to sit through, particularly on the three extended medleys. The overlong twelve-part "Soul Medley" really puts the boot in, haltingly veering between songs as disparate as "Hey Paula," "The Way You Look Tonight," "The Sheik of Araby," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and "Blueberry Hill." It's one for the committed, or, to put it even more unkindly, people who thought the band featured in the film The Commitments were the epitome of true soul. The sound is decent, though, and the liner notes have brief comments on the songs by Bell herself. ~ Richie Unterberger