at Club Vynyl, Hollywood.
OK, first up was Jill Scott. I have not heard her recording, but the 3 piece backing band (Rhodes, bass, and drums) put her firmly in the "neo-soul" camp. There has been SO much of that sound lately... Erykah Badu, the Jazzyfatnastees, Amel Larrieux, to say nothing of The Roots and D'Angelo. And don't get me wrong... the Rhodes is a tremendous instrument, but ENUF already! Couldn't they hire a guitar player or a horn player?
That said, Jill's whole vibe was VERY reminiscent of another extravagently turban-clad diva, with, for me, 1 important difference; HOOKS! Badu drops 'em like Kareem Abdul Jabbar... but I would have a very difficult time remembering the name or melody of any of Jill's songs, except for an NC-17 poem called "The Thickness" which she read from her notebook ("This came to me the other night...") even though her band knew precisely when and where to break.... well, it IS Hollywood, after all.
Her voice is amazing, her stage presence is fabulous, and Hidden Beach seems to be doing a good job of promotion. But for me, that was a sit-down Chardonnay sipping set that conflicted with the dance hall environs.
Next up was King Britt. A friend remarked that he was dressed like a woodshop teacher, and he is about the most introspective DJ I've seen. He didn't seem to notice that he had more or less cleared the dance floor after about 10 minutes, and he played the EXTRA, EXTRA long versions of trax that defied people to dance. It started to cook a little bit towards the end, but I was kind of disappointed.
Finally, Jack Herrera, which features the 1 and only Jon B. (Does the B stand for Boltonesque?) But, hold it. Jon B is remaking his image; he can play some hot keyboard licks, he sings good, and the whole vibe is decidedly non-babyface-ish. But, Jack Herrera was breaking off some Broun Fellini's style flows over medium-funky beats, and it didn't hold my attention.
We headed for the door remarking how KCRW (LA's hot public radio station) gigs often make you feel guilty for not enjoying them more... kind of like music appreciation class... and btw, Professor Garth Trinidad looks a lot more like Fred Durst than I imagined...
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