Like all things in this human condition, art also follows the circle of life. Having just seen the memorials in honor of Aretha Franklin’s passing and feeling like there is a vacuum now in the world of great vocalist…suddenly the circle closed and the gap was filled by Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive.
In the past decade or so, old school R&B has seen a resurgence in popular culture that seems to have started in the U.K. but has bounced over the pond to America in that timeless game of musical ping pong the two countries play. But James Hunter has been playing R&B for 30 plus years and by his own admission even he was 20 years late to the game. Hunter, however, is pushing the boundaries of R&B by upending the genre’s normal tropes and motifs while still somehow operating within them.
Imagine you are sitting at a poker table in an old west saloon. Marco Benevento is playing piano. Eyes around the table twitch, the all-night girls beckon from the balconies, hands slide uneasily over six shooters under the table. When someone is caught cheating the table is upended, poker chips and whiskey fly through the air, Benevento’s thunderous riff comes in signaling the hero to run for his horse tethered outside and ride through the desert. Get ready for a wild ride!
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are considered legends of Ska and Reggae music. Their sound is a unique, original combination of gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock and when they bring their acoustic tour to Denver this weekend, New Orleans powerhouse Anders Osborne will join The Maytals on the bill at Swallow Hill. Between the two of them, it is sure to be a memorable night of music.