Are They Worth Seeing Live?

ARE THEY WORTH

SEEING LIVE ?

45CRAIG DAVID

Y

ou can’t be a fan of R&B without mentioning Craig David. Better known in the 2000’s with the smash hits «Rise & Fall», «7 Days» or «All The Way», the 36 year old British sensation still remains one of the biggest R&B voices in the UK. After returning in the music scene in 2016 with a new album named «Following My Intuitions», Craig David decided to continue his music endeavor and tried to go back to his old R&B sound. If «Following My Intuition» was a great record, full of well crafted songs, it was mainly influenced by Craig’s TS5 shows he’s been playing for the last couple of years all over the world and was very EDM oriented.

This month, the artist was in Los Angeles to play a show a couple of days before his new album «The Time Is Now» came out. The singer-turned-DJ brought the best from the Urban scene to the Roxy in West Hollywood and the crowd was more than happy to see him back on stage. Although he has got many #1 since his return, not everyone is familiar with Craig David’s sound in the USA. Switching between

his old (and famous) tracks like «7 Days» and «Fill Me In» and his new songs like «Live In The Moment» and «I Know You», «Ain’t Giving Up». Craig David showed that he can do the singing, entertaining the crowd while DJing. He indeed remixed some of the most famous songs in the hip-hop/R&B world including TLC’s «No Scrubs» and Dr Dre ft Snoop Dogg’s «Still» in which he added the «Walking Away» lyrics. Mixing old classic instrumentals to his own songs was something we didn’t expect but it was really refreshing and everyone (including us) was loving this. He also greatly showcased his vocals by singing acapella sometimes and everyone went crazy.

Craig David showed that he still has what it takes and knows how to work the room no matter which country he is performing in. He’s got in his hands some timeless tracks that work no matter the year or the place he’ll sing them at because everyone knows the words and we can’t wait to see what the singer has in store for us.

WORDS AND PHOTO by PAMELA CHARBIT

DERMOT KENNEDY

O

ne thing we wouldn’t be able to do is to label Dermot Kennedy’s sound! The 25 year-old Irish musician was first known for some elegant yet relatively forgettable ballads such as « Shelter » or « After Rain ». But the release of his EP « Doves & Ravens » in april 2017 was a turning point musically. Through four tracks, the artist mixes the tone of slam, the rhythmic of folk, the stratification of EDM and the hardour of rock. In any genre, there is one unchanging given : the heart and soul he puts in it! When hitting the stage of le Point Ephémère in his track suit, Dermot Kennedy looked like any spectator in this venue. But let him sing a single word and everyone gets he is the star in this house...

« An Evening I Will Not Forget »… The opening track of the night is auspicious. The song is an ode to nostalgia, a dive into memories of a happy but past relationship... Its colors, joys and setbacks before coming to the conclusion that the page isn’t turned : « I still love you though, I still love you always. » After this soft introduction- in the vein of his earliest productions-, Dermot Kennedy goes on with « Boston », taken from his latest EP. If melancholy still runs in it, it is expressed there with less literal, more mature and nuanced words. And the first ghosts of an electronic background appear. « A closeness » has everything we love in Dermot Kennedy’s voice mastery : cutting attacks, clear diction and verses somewhere between proclamation and singing. A very singular way to perform, that catch your heart and guts.

Remaining silent between songs till this point, Dermot Kennedy finally addresses some warm words to his French audience. And the crowd -composed of die-hard fans, bystanders or Irish expats living in Paris- is already conquered, not shy to sing along with the artist. Two unknown songs come along, in a boiling atmosphere.

WORDS AND PHOTOS by CORALINE BLAISE

« For Island Fires And Family » brings us back to stripped territories, and sound as authentic and organic as Ed Sheeran’s earliest works. Between light and dark,uplifting memories and bittersweet regrets, childhood and adulthood, Dermot Kennedy make a confession in chiaroscuro.

The very recognizable sample of « Moments Passed » comes after this delicate moment. And the atmosphere turns electric. The power of the track hits you in a second. The instrumental fill the room, guitars, keys and drum spinning round. And Dermot Kennedy calls an invisible love, almost shouting « Cause I loved ya / Does that mean nothing to you now? » with both a feeling of anger and surrender.

The frenzy of the keys on « All My Friends » contrasts with the chorus, minimal as in a prayer or a goodbye : « To all my friends / You’ll find your way / Some summer night I hope I see you again / All my friends / I’d love to stay / Some summer night I hope I see you again ». « Glory » is definitely the hightlight of the EP- and of the night. The passionate singing of Dermot Kennedy and pitched guitar chords are with beat hip-hop and haunting accents. The song reaches its climax when one particular line is thrown into the air : « She’s everything the devil can’t be / When she’s singing to me ‘Glory’»

Dermot Kennedy announces his last track and frank as he is since the beginning, he won’t come back after that. He invites the public to sing with him on « After Rain » and Paris answers with a light echo. the song fades away and Dermot Kennedy disappears at the back of the stage. Obviously, he leaves us wanting more. But we play the night in our mind and end up thinking the expression « Doves & Ravens » might refer to Dermot Kennedy himself : sincere as a dove, uncompromising as a raven.

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