By: Jen Paulson
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Corinne Bailey Rae - Publicity photo from her website
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From Gran Bel Fisher’s lush, guitar-heavy piano-rock to Kevin Devine’s mostly solo set of deeply lyrical, acoustic folk, and finally Corinne Bailey Rae’s urban soul and jazz, Dinkytown’s Varsity Theater was the perfect venue for these intimate, though musically mismatched, artists. It brought out middle-aged folk, university girls, Yuppies in training, and multi-audiophiles such as me.
Los Angeleno (by way of Ohio) Gran Bel Fisher’s first full-length album just came out in late July and he’s already got plenty going on, including “Bound by Love,” a song on the forthcoming Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack and plenty of adult-alternative radio potential. His voice had a booming, atmospheric Billy Bragg tinge to it: moody, yet bright, with plenty of atmosphere. He and guitarist Josh Krajcik did a fantastic job of connecting with the crowd, and their outright love for the Varsity didn’t hurt either.
With pangs of a Bright Eyes influence, Brooklyn’s Kevin Devine played a mostly solo set with the exception of a few songs with singer Carey Brandenburg. His introspective themes ranged from the brokenhearted to the political and spanned his three-album catalog, but also included some songs from his upcoming Capitol Records release. Of course, as my luck often has it, this set did not include the song of my latest fancy, “Wolf’s Mouth.” Instead, along with his banter, he charmed the crowd with songs like “Cotton Crush” and “Noose like a Necklace,” which definitely sufficed.
After what seemed like an impatient eternity in between sets – but wasn’t actually that long – UK lass Corrine Bailey Rae took to the stage. She wore a lovely green roman-style dress and an ethereally joyful smile on her face that would remain for most, if not the whole show. Rae has been enjoying some notoriety lately, notably with her song, “Put Your Records On.” Frankly, I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon her self-titled album, but when I saw that she was playing this show, I knew I had to go. Maybe I’d anticipated the necessity of a chilled-out set of neo-soul grooves to soothe my soul. Her sweeping arm movements epitomized this, as if conducting the jazz sound of her accompanying band, which she often joined on the acoustic guitar. She is a skilled performer, emoting feelings that allow you to get lost in her songs, like the sweetness of “Call Me When You Get This” and the crisp “Trouble Sleeping.”
I’m not always a fan of mismatched covers, but I was really floored by the genius of her jazz-club cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” After 18 American dates, Rae ended her set, and her tour, with a seemingly reluctant two-song encore that tended to lack the vibrancy of the rest of her set. No one really seemed to mind though; they were satisfied by their evening.
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Corinne Bailey Rae
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