A walk along Nashville’s Lower Broadway on a Saturday night is an assault on the senses. Bar after bar, on up to three floors, is blasting out repertoires from George Strait to Guns N’ Roses with live bands. The noise is immense as are the crowds of ‘out of town revellers’ in T shirts, shorts or short skirts; many with cowboys hats and boots. It’s a sight to behold as this sea of flesh hunts hedonistic delights. At the bottom of the strip is Eric Church’s new venue Chief’s. It’s here on the third storey, where the hardwood floor has been filled with chairs, the crowd are awaiting the appearance of a South Carolina belle.

It’s twenty years since Robert’s released her eponymous debut and this is an anniversary party. From being the PA to a record label boss she found, in short order, that she had a Top 10 release and was well on her way to being a new important country chanteuse. That album undoubtedly remains an early millennium classic but for several reasons her career faltered after a few years and her output has been sporadic as well as her appearances since. Managing long term health challenges (MS) has been a necessity yet on stage this night she was perpetual motion in sparkling stage outfits that failed to eclipse her personality: excitable, warm, kind, often hilarious and slightly scatty.

It may have been party time on the street below but she soon had the sell out audience up off their chairs and joining the choruses. The whole night was participative yet intimate. Break Down Here, a Top 20 hit off the album, is an earworm gem and it came up early as she played the song in the order of the album. An uber excited audience was singing word for word as Robert’s beamed from the stage enjoying the ‘love’. Her gift, the voice, is a joy to hear as its expressive plaintive tones can bring you heartbreak, despair or longing. With many anecdotal detours she delivered the eleven songs with a five piece band that notably had her husband, Matt Baugher, on keyboards and Mark Oakley on electric guitar.

After an intermission where many of the audience, mainly from the southern States but some further north had refuelled she returned to play songs mainly from her 2022 release Ain’t In No Hurry. This album took several years to compile with Shooter Jennings producing. It boasts contributions from Erin Enderlin and duets with Jamey Johnson and Randy Hauser. Whilst it had its moments such as a cover of K T Oslin’s Do Ya’ where Robert’s demonstrates her Southern Soul credentials the selection of songs brought into sharp relief how exceptional her debut was. After Men & Mascara we had another run through Break Down Here and then before the encore, where she could thank all the individual members of the band again or express her gratitude for us all coming out (again!) we found the exit and another bar where duelling grand pianists were running through Elton John’s catalogue, after all the night was young.