Corinne Bailey Rae @ Webster Hall NYC

In a strange twist of fate, I fell in love with Corinne one day while strolling through the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. I spotted her cd and instantly thought I would like it (and her) based solely on the cover art (I'm superficial and shallow and tend to be drawn toward pretty things in pretty packaging...). Unfortunately, at that time, it was only available as a British import, and I'm not in the habit of paying $24 for a single cd...so I waited. Then I waited some more. Then I found out she was having a US cd release and jumped on it without hesitation. I was not disappointed. Moreover, I was actually kind of amazed that more people didn't know about her and I hyped her cd like I invented that sh*t myself! On September 23rd, I had the good fortune to see Corinne Bailey Rae perform at one of my favorite venues in New York City, Webster Hall.
The old school charm and unimposing size of Webster Hall was well-suited to Corinne's music and personality. She performed as if singing only for her own amusement, most of the time with her eyes closed and a serene smile upon her face. More than once, she seemed genuinely startled out of her reverie by the applause at the end of a song, or if she opened her eyes briefly, by the room full of fans that were singing along to her every word. Every facial expression, every vocal inflection, every shrug of her shoulders, and every gesture of hand...Corinne gave the feeling that she'd invited you over for a cup of tea when her favorite song just happened to come on the radio, and she simply couldn't help but sing along. Apart from the performance itself - which was effortlessly sweet and moving, endearing Corinne to all who watched and listened - the music was no less inspired. The songs are sparsely, simply written, yet so truthful, one can't help but be moved by the emotion behind the words. Ever more unique, I find, Corinne's songs and voice have the ability to capture joy in a way that is often overlooked in a landscape of bump'n'grind ballads and emo-punk depressive rock torch songs. Even when the songs tend toward more melancholy territory (as in "Til It Happens To You" and "Seasons Change"), it is never in a woe-is-me vein, but rather, has the effect of your best friend giving you a big hug and saying, "Yeah, that really sucks. Just let it all out." If she comes to a city near you, do whatever you have to do to make sure you don't miss it. Now, when is that next album coming?...*sigh*


This is actually from a show she did in Leeds, but I thought I'd spread the love anyway...enjoy!



Video courtesy of buttshak3r on youtube.

Sarah Blasko & Martha Wainwright @ Bowery Ballroom NYC

Before you get too involved with this, you should know that I actually went to this show specifically to see Sarah Blasko. I was not a Martha Wainwright fan, which is to say that I had never heard any of her songs prior to attending this show. Your first question, naturally, is this: Who's Sarah Blasko? Here's your answer: Sarah Blasko is awesome. Period. I happened upon her cd while strolling through the Virgin Megastore one day. I loved the cover photo, and it was $9.99. It was a bargain, and I'm a sucker for pretty packaging (I also bought Maria Taylor's 11:11 that same day for the very same two reasons). I was surprised to find out that Sarah was an Aussie import (as Virgin loves to uber-charge for imports). There was no place to listen to any of the tracks in the store, so I proceeded to the register with faith that my ability to find good music based solely on the packaging would not fail me. I was not disappointed. So wasn't I surprised, as I was scrolling through Bowery Ballroom's calendar of events and saw Sarah Blasko's name!?! My first thought: Yay! My next thought: Why is her name so small...and who's Martha Wainwright?

I arrived early so as not to miss any of Sarah opening the show for Martha Wainwright. Her set was off the chain! For most of the songs it was just Sarah and her guitar and another guy backing her up on guitar/keyboard. Then she had this tiny little four track mini Moog to play some recorded sounds while she worked it out on the mic. Her voice has this fragile, lilting quality to it, but then the music takes a turn and her sound is soaring, almost Bjork-like in it's tone and expanse. She played mostly songs from her current cd, 'The Overature and the Underscore', and also a couple of songs from her debut EP, 'Prelusive'. Some of my favorites of the evening were 'Beautiful Secrets', 'True Intentions', and 'All Coming Back'. All tracks that have bridges or endings where Sarah's just wailing on the microphone, and her voice hits you dead in your center and radiates out the top of your head and your fingertips. Unreal. One of the sweetest, most upbeat songs, 'Always Worth It', Sarah said she wrote after watching an episode of the Sopranos, so inspiration really can strike at any time, I suppose. I was sorry to see her leave the stage, but now suddenly curious about this Martha Wainwright character...Oh, and Sarah was over by the merchandise table after the show and was nice enough to pose for a photo with yours truly! Yippee!

Honestly, my first impression was: I don't wanna hear some girl who makes records just because her brother is awesome and makes awesome records. I love me some Rufus Wainwright. I wasn't even interested in standing around to listen to some trendy ass poser of a sister...but then she came on stage and didn't even suck at all! Yay Martha! I wasn't familiar with any of her music, so I was pleasantly surprised at every turn. Songs like 'BMFA' (google that if you need elaboration) were catchy as hell and very amusing. She did a rendition of one of my favorite Nina Simone songs, 'Ne Me Quittez Pas', in French no less (I thought Canadians weren't supposed to be all showy and whatnot...). For two songs, she was even joined onstage by her adorable brother Rufus Wainwright, and backed up throughout the set by their another Wainwright sister. Oh, I'm having a fashion flashback! Martha wore these jeans...really nice jeans. Jeans with no side seams! I haven't quite worked out the construction process yet, but you can bet you're gonna catch me in a pair before the month is out! But I digress...Martha Wainwright: not a trendy ass poser. Very, very talented. Glad that I got to see her show and get acquainted with her music. You should too. See you at the next show!

Here's a sample of the goods: Sarah Blasko performing 'All Coming Back' live at The Living Room NYC



Video courtesy of tixgirl on youtube.