Indie Soul Singers Croon at Black Cat and Takoma Station
This weekend was one for soul-singer lovers. Eric Roberson did a set at the Black Cat Saturday night, and Geno Young closed out the weekend Sunday night at Takoma Station.
Before a young and sexy crowd, Roberson alternately crooned and swooned a good hour of ballads from his four albums, including his most recent “Volume 1.5,” working up a serious sweat in his brown velvet jacket in the process. Oh, how the ladies loved it. Women on all sides stamped their stilettos, swung their hips and waved hands in the air.
And most of the time, he was worth all the fawning. Like Tony Terry and Kenny Lattimore, Roberson’s tone is clear is strong, especially in songs that require range and vocal endurance. His pitch is lovely like Luther. Not as silky but something to get wrapped up in. Rhythms are complicated and bass heavy like Prince, so hip shaking is a given. Roberson was truly at his best when improvising diddies about college life in DC, and singing in line at McDonald’s to show to surrounding ladies in waiting that “yeah, [he] could sing.” Can I call you some time? Roberson is a rapturous entertainer.
Though not without flaws. On the downside, he lost folks’ interest with interludes that went on just a tad too long (even the back up singer looked aside in clear annoyance), and rhythms were just a little too syncopated for the band to maintain. For a few bars here and there, cacophony was the melody.
Where Roberson is a lover, Geno Young is a bit of a fighter, and he opened his show at Takoma throwing punches at the music industry for saturating radio stations with Ashanti and Usher. “We need a musical revolution!” he sang. The crowd of more than a few indie artists cheered him on as he called them out: “I wanna see Ya Mama’Nym in a video!”
And there was a sucker punch for an unnamed singer who, Young claims, denied him credits to a song he sent to them. “Give me my song back/you stole it” he sang to the rhythm of Jill Scott’s (or Geno Young’s?) hit “Golden.”
But those are just the juicy gossipy bits. The truth about Geno Young is that he resurrects the best of Rick James vocals with Donny Hathaway lyricism. He’s good. Good through his solo album “Ghetto Symphony,” a neo-soul excursion in and around love, community, and black manhood. Musically, Young marries breezy keyboard chords heard often in Roy Ayers with staccato-snapping bass beats.
But, Young’s best that night wasn’t his. The crowd hushed as he saaaang John Legend’s “Ordinary People” and, get this, a gospel version of the theme song to “Good Times.” Who does that?
Young, too, was plagued by a few of band-snafus as Roberson. The same band as accompanying Roberson the night before, they had not the opportunity to rehearse with Young and sometimes had difficulty with improvising and riffing solos. Nonetheless, Roberson and Young’s connection with the crowd before them more than compensated for the confusion behind them.
Before a young and sexy crowd, Roberson alternately crooned and swooned a good hour of ballads from his four albums, including his most recent “Volume 1.5,” working up a serious sweat in his brown velvet jacket in the process. Oh, how the ladies loved it. Women on all sides stamped their stilettos, swung their hips and waved hands in the air.
And most of the time, he was worth all the fawning. Like Tony Terry and Kenny Lattimore, Roberson’s tone is clear is strong, especially in songs that require range and vocal endurance. His pitch is lovely like Luther. Not as silky but something to get wrapped up in. Rhythms are complicated and bass heavy like Prince, so hip shaking is a given. Roberson was truly at his best when improvising diddies about college life in DC, and singing in line at McDonald’s to show to surrounding ladies in waiting that “yeah, [he] could sing.” Can I call you some time? Roberson is a rapturous entertainer.
Though not without flaws. On the downside, he lost folks’ interest with interludes that went on just a tad too long (even the back up singer looked aside in clear annoyance), and rhythms were just a little too syncopated for the band to maintain. For a few bars here and there, cacophony was the melody.
Where Roberson is a lover, Geno Young is a bit of a fighter, and he opened his show at Takoma throwing punches at the music industry for saturating radio stations with Ashanti and Usher. “We need a musical revolution!” he sang. The crowd of more than a few indie artists cheered him on as he called them out: “I wanna see Ya Mama’Nym in a video!”
And there was a sucker punch for an unnamed singer who, Young claims, denied him credits to a song he sent to them. “Give me my song back/you stole it” he sang to the rhythm of Jill Scott’s (or Geno Young’s?) hit “Golden.”
But those are just the juicy gossipy bits. The truth about Geno Young is that he resurrects the best of Rick James vocals with Donny Hathaway lyricism. He’s good. Good through his solo album “Ghetto Symphony,” a neo-soul excursion in and around love, community, and black manhood. Musically, Young marries breezy keyboard chords heard often in Roy Ayers with staccato-snapping bass beats.
But, Young’s best that night wasn’t his. The crowd hushed as he saaaang John Legend’s “Ordinary People” and, get this, a gospel version of the theme song to “Good Times.” Who does that?
Young, too, was plagued by a few of band-snafus as Roberson. The same band as accompanying Roberson the night before, they had not the opportunity to rehearse with Young and sometimes had difficulty with improvising and riffing solos. Nonetheless, Roberson and Young’s connection with the crowd before them more than compensated for the confusion behind them.
posted by Rhonda Henderson at 7:30 AM
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