Millie Jackson: Hammersmith Odeon, London

VOICE: robust and versatile, unique among name entertainers for its dynamic revitalisation of R&B and soul intonations of yesteryear. Humour: sardonic, self-deprecating, ego-crushing, uplifting; more often than is generally appreciated simultaneously working on two levels. Sex: see humour. Expression and timing: impressively evident in all the fore-mentioned. Professional balance (routine v. spontaneity): perhaps still a shade too dependent on a rehearsed set, but far more flexible than most and all the time getting more confidently adept at rolling with, and throwing, the punches.