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CONCERT REVIEW: Aloe Blacc @ World Cafe Live 6/2
Black Music Month has rolled in, so all June long Critical Mass will be featuring videos of some of our favorite artists from now and then. Let's get it poppin' with Aloe Blacc. He sang the above cover in his encore Thursday night. Too cool.
CONCERT REVIEW: Aloe Blacc @ World Cafe Live 6/2
Black Music Month has rolled in, so all June long Critical Mass will be featuring videos of some of our favorite artists from now and then. Let's get it poppin’ with Aloe Blacc. He sang the above cover in his encore Thursday night. Too cool.
Aloe Blacc’s vocals are arresting. The first time I listened to his debut album, Good Things, I couldn’t get over it. I didn’t know whether to sway and clap on my feet in my pew or bob my head in respect of a flow that crazy. For all of his rich and melodic belting, he could easily slip into hip-hop tinged percussiveness, and at times, combine them. (When he combines them, he is most compelling. It seems like he’s touching on the spirituality behind his desperation, or the reverse.) Blacc began his musical career as a rapper and sings effortlessly, confidently. His confidence is also striking, even more so in person. When Blacc walks on stage, you know that he knows that he is one bad (shut-yo-mouth!).
His stage persona, cool and funky, shines, and the mixture of styles that have made him a critic’s darling are reconciled by one thing: soul. In the beginning of his set, right in the midst of letting us know that we are about to get down, he gives props to James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. He isn’t afraid to channel them, or any other rhythm and blues idol worth worshipping. He’s crafted his own walk and his fedora sits just so. His logo looks a lot like an updated version of the glasses icon that David Ruffin used to personalize everything. He grabs his crotch like MJ; he grooves his feet like the aforementioned Godfather.
It’s way too easy to get caught up in the nostalgia of it all. With his band, the Grand Scheme, playing things get downright decadent. They deliver a soul extravaganza, and Blacc reminds you of what you love about your old school faves. I wonder if I’m losing sight of Aloe while I reminisce, but by the end of the night, I don’t think that matters. He’s got a bigger message. Whether he’s singing about making ends meet, the evils of the world, or political corruption, he dances nevertheless.
He asks us to the clear a path for a soul train line and of course we oblige immediately. All it takes is one person before dozens are breaking it down, just as Aloe must’ve planned. Later, he sings “I Need a Dolla” and we all seem to know the feeling. The dance floor only gets crazier. In the midst of a jobless recovery, Aloe Blacc comes to make you dance. He also reminds you that even in times like these, keeping it funky shouldn’t be optional, and getting down is oh so necessary. Yeah, that sure enough was a good thing.
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