Jamie Lidell sings to Elvis (Photo by Kirstie Shanley)
It's not always easy to drag yourself to a show on a "school night." Yet when the show happens to be Jamie Lidell, it's worth the schlep. Wednesday night caught the British-born, now Berliner producer and neo-soul singer at Metro. If you ever get the chance, don't pass up this multi-talented performer who sings like a cross between Stevie Wonder and Amy Winehouse and flips out smooth and tasty beats across five tracks simultaneously. Overarching playful, Lidell's retro-future electronic soul fusion left a stamp of upbeat positivism on the audience, one that's hard to forget.
Jamie Lidell (Photo by Kirstie Shanley)
To understand Lidell just look at his pants. Long and flowing blue-and-white striped cotton things, like pajama bottoms. Not so unlike those stocking caps you see in a Dr. Seuss story, only they were stocking pants, overflowing onto his funky pointy black shoes with silver buckles. And to complement this silliness Lidell had on a white tunic-like shirt. Clearly the guy doesn't take clothing seriously, almost like an afterthought. But boy can the guy sing. What Lidell creates onstage reflects the two halves of his musical identity — one part electronic music producer, the other part neo-soul singer. He switches between belting out songs with unabashed emotion, like "Another Day" and "Wait for Me" from his recently release album Jim, to performing in one-man band fashion, from his amalgam of equipment that included two Powerbooks, mixer, fader, sampler and more.
Jamie Lidell (Photo by Kirstie Shanley)
Audience members were of the fashionable, stylish variety. Band members kept the playful theme running high in various costumes — the saxophonist in a red, full-length kimono, guitarist wearing a white jumpsuit and cape. At one point during a particularly free wheeling jam, the drummer jumped down into the audience with a tambourine, rocking along with the boisterous audience. The feel good factor in a Lidell show overall infectious, you can't help but sing and dance along.
