Sarah Jane Morris is known for singing with The Communards in the 1980s but since then has pursued a solo career of individuality and variety.

Her visit to Brighton on Monday was with Italian jazz guitarist Antonio Forcione, with whom she has recently recorded an album to be released later this year.

Morris has a rich, breathy, extremely deep voice with a marvellous gravelly quality perfectly suited for the jazz club atmosphere of the Komedia.

The Fringe show started with a solo by Forcione which illustrated his stunning playing before he was joined on stage by Morris. They performed songs written by Morris on the whole, with a few other Motown covers thrown in.

Singer/songwriter Morris writes complex lyrics covering subjects which may seem far-removed from the usual love pop song. For example, she somehow manages to pull off singing about a serial killer of sex workers without the subject matter intruding too much on the beautiful quality of the song.

Her Bloody Rain album has garnered fantastic critical success with her collaboration with African musicians and the pair played some songs from that album. Her song Wild Flowers from that album dedicated to her late mother, Joy and their wonderful dysfunctional childhood was moving and joyful.

Three stars