The first time I had seen someone catching the holy spirit was when I visited my great Aunt’s church in Yonkers. Me, not being child that was raised in the church, expected a dry sermon, as I had seen on television, delivered by a sweaty pastor, who huffed and puffed his way through a long drawn out sermon, being cheered on by a gleeful amen corner. I anticipated boredom on a very empty stomach. Lunch wouldn’t come until after the parting of the red sea. As I sat in the church, I saw something that both amused me and entranced me. As the sermon went on, I watched as a very proper looking woman jump suddenly out of her seat, fall on the floor and shake like a hot egg in a frying pan. To my eyes she seemed as if she had been shot through by a bolt of electricity. My Mother elbowed me in the side, as my Brother, Sister, and I laughed at the sight of this woman, skirt up to her waist, griddle and slip showing, speaking in tongues and shaking like bacon. But in my laughter I was also intrigued by the fact that words had the power to move people, beyond their present state of mind. Something working on some subconscious place in the mind. Good music can be like that. An electric shock to the system.
So how does this relate to Jamie Lidell? Well, his concert seemed to be like a shock to the sometimes comatose Toronto audience’s system. A musical sermon in almost religious cantor.
Jamie Lidell is a strange character in the music scene. It’s hard to categorize him. He does equal parts soul, funk, pop, electronica, and experimental house music. Jamie is in a sense doing what Jamie does, which is to confuse the hell out of everyone, and still make good music while doing it.
It’s a challenge, for many white artists who chose to do soul music. The over used title of “blue eyed soul” embodies the old archetype of the white singer who can “get down” just like the black singers do. He/she will always know how to ad lib like it’s revival time. They usually have to have the seal of approval from some top black singer/producer, and can throw down and dance the latest dance, just as good as the black singers. As tired and dated as the archetype is, it is always present in the industry’s pushing of a white soul singer. The singer always seems to be pushed into this constant struggle of trying to be accepted by the dominant popular, trying to be accepted by the black populas as the real deal, and not looking like they are doing black face in a minstrel show. I think that Lidell’s oddness is what makes him work against type. He is in a sense a new vision of a soul singer, erasing the racial element, and focusing on just being the guy with the voice and the funky.
The opening act for this show was a quite forgettable, performer, who performed the typical sad, lonely girl tunes that where in rapid rotation in the 90’s. I’ve grown weary of this sort of music. Must a woman with a guitar always stare blankly through messy bangs, rock a beat up old rock Tee, and sing about unrequited love? As she strummed her guitar I had the urge to drown myself in a river of Soya Chai Latte. Gulp..Gulp..Gulp… Can we please move on from this tired form of music?
There was room at the inn, when Lidell arrived on stage. In a funky pair of MC Hammer style pants and jacket, that only he could pull off. He opened up his sermon with the track “Another Day” from his latest album “JIM” From the moment he stepped onto the stage the usually laid back Toronto parishioners became the Amen corner. Hooting and hollering like it was revival time in the Opera House.
Lidell, didn’t spend a lot time talking to the audience, but rather lead the audience through a performance art piece. Backed by a band of unusual characters of a normal looking drummer, a guitarist dressed as a no name superhero, and a horn section that looked like refugees from a Star Wars cult, he laid down one of the most soul filled evenings I have been privy to in a while. Using visuals, and his music, Lidell proved that you can do performance art that draws people in rather than leaves them on the outskirts wondering why they are there. When it works, the audience becomes part of the show, setting the vibe in the room, along with the artist. At times I felt like I was in the bedroom of some cool art student watching as he showed me what projects he was working on and feeling lucky to be let in on his secrets.
At times his visuals and on stage mixing was like jazz improvisation. It was so fascinating to see the creating of new music and rhythms and the reaction of the crowd to the sounds. At times I was mesmerized and hypnotized by the sounds that I heard, moving my body and humming along to sounds that seemed like they would go on forever. In a trance I moved, electrified by the sound, and the voice.
At one point the disappeared off stage only to reappear with a television on his head as he crooned a simple love song. His songs sometimes seem so deceptively simple, but yet his voice and creative visuals give them an edge. As silly as the image seems it works for Lidell because it’s what you would expect from Lidell.
Lidell’s likeability is in that he doesn’t have any swagger. In fact, at times in the concert he seemed as enthusiastic as everyone else. Looking like a little boy, who just found out that he could melt crayons on the radiator. It’s the geekish element that makes Lidell much more enjoyable than most soul artists. It’s evident that he is influenced by soul of old, but he doesn’t wear his influences on his sleeve, but rather uses his experimentations to mix and match and interpolate them into a new vision of soul. One that demands the devotion of the body, mind and soul. One that invites the listener to think outside the box, and listen to the music. Moving, as constant as the rhythm that he sets out.
As I walked out of the Opera House, I wondered what happened to my body, why did I feel so refreshed? Why was my dress pulled up so high? What happened in there that made me smile on the streetcar as I went home? I lay back in my seat and hummed the rhythms I had in my head. Pulled down my dress, closed my eyes, and listened to my soul dance.
So how does this relate to Jamie Lidell? Well, his concert seemed to be like a shock to the sometimes comatose Toronto audience’s system. A musical sermon in almost religious cantor.
Jamie Lidell is a strange character in the music scene. It’s hard to categorize him. He does equal parts soul, funk, pop, electronica, and experimental house music. Jamie is in a sense doing what Jamie does, which is to confuse the hell out of everyone, and still make good music while doing it.
It’s a challenge, for many white artists who chose to do soul music. The over used title of “blue eyed soul” embodies the old archetype of the white singer who can “get down” just like the black singers do. He/she will always know how to ad lib like it’s revival time. They usually have to have the seal of approval from some top black singer/producer, and can throw down and dance the latest dance, just as good as the black singers. As tired and dated as the archetype is, it is always present in the industry’s pushing of a white soul singer. The singer always seems to be pushed into this constant struggle of trying to be accepted by the dominant popular, trying to be accepted by the black populas as the real deal, and not looking like they are doing black face in a minstrel show. I think that Lidell’s oddness is what makes him work against type. He is in a sense a new vision of a soul singer, erasing the racial element, and focusing on just being the guy with the voice and the funky.
The opening act for this show was a quite forgettable, performer, who performed the typical sad, lonely girl tunes that where in rapid rotation in the 90’s. I’ve grown weary of this sort of music. Must a woman with a guitar always stare blankly through messy bangs, rock a beat up old rock Tee, and sing about unrequited love? As she strummed her guitar I had the urge to drown myself in a river of Soya Chai Latte. Gulp..Gulp..Gulp… Can we please move on from this tired form of music?
There was room at the inn, when Lidell arrived on stage. In a funky pair of MC Hammer style pants and jacket, that only he could pull off. He opened up his sermon with the track “Another Day” from his latest album “JIM” From the moment he stepped onto the stage the usually laid back Toronto parishioners became the Amen corner. Hooting and hollering like it was revival time in the Opera House.
Lidell, didn’t spend a lot time talking to the audience, but rather lead the audience through a performance art piece. Backed by a band of unusual characters of a normal looking drummer, a guitarist dressed as a no name superhero, and a horn section that looked like refugees from a Star Wars cult, he laid down one of the most soul filled evenings I have been privy to in a while. Using visuals, and his music, Lidell proved that you can do performance art that draws people in rather than leaves them on the outskirts wondering why they are there. When it works, the audience becomes part of the show, setting the vibe in the room, along with the artist. At times I felt like I was in the bedroom of some cool art student watching as he showed me what projects he was working on and feeling lucky to be let in on his secrets.
At times his visuals and on stage mixing was like jazz improvisation. It was so fascinating to see the creating of new music and rhythms and the reaction of the crowd to the sounds. At times I was mesmerized and hypnotized by the sounds that I heard, moving my body and humming along to sounds that seemed like they would go on forever. In a trance I moved, electrified by the sound, and the voice.
At one point the disappeared off stage only to reappear with a television on his head as he crooned a simple love song. His songs sometimes seem so deceptively simple, but yet his voice and creative visuals give them an edge. As silly as the image seems it works for Lidell because it’s what you would expect from Lidell.
Lidell’s likeability is in that he doesn’t have any swagger. In fact, at times in the concert he seemed as enthusiastic as everyone else. Looking like a little boy, who just found out that he could melt crayons on the radiator. It’s the geekish element that makes Lidell much more enjoyable than most soul artists. It’s evident that he is influenced by soul of old, but he doesn’t wear his influences on his sleeve, but rather uses his experimentations to mix and match and interpolate them into a new vision of soul. One that demands the devotion of the body, mind and soul. One that invites the listener to think outside the box, and listen to the music. Moving, as constant as the rhythm that he sets out.
As I walked out of the Opera House, I wondered what happened to my body, why did I feel so refreshed? Why was my dress pulled up so high? What happened in there that made me smile on the streetcar as I went home? I lay back in my seat and hummed the rhythms I had in my head. Pulled down my dress, closed my eyes, and listened to my soul dance.
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