Sometimes, you just get so far off target in life, that you forget what the normal standard of something should be. We’re bombarded by synthetic and thunderous sounds, misogynistic and angry lyrics and nothing that is sung with a sense of style or taste. And the worst part is, we get used to it.
Then, here comes Roberta Flack with her ensemble to deliver a 2 hour concert of jazzy soul, and soulful R&B to remind us that, yes, you can create beautiful music that is relevant, skillful, lyrical and make you want to dance or pitch the woo.
The toe tapping supporting team, directed by keyboardist Shelton Becton, featured Dean Brown/g, Nicholas Brancker/b, Brandon Mullen/dr with vocalists Derrick Hughes and Honey Larouchelle, opened and closed the evening with bookends of instrumental soul as Ms. Flack came on stage, as if showing her presence was part of an opera of sorts. With crystal clear voice and supported by gentle acoustic guitar, she created a balm of sounds as she caressed pieces like “Killing Me Softly” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” She could also stir up some good old foot stompin funk as Brencker’s bass slapped out “Sweet Georgia Brown,” as well as make you feel like you’re sitting in on a Sunday morning sermonette on gentle gospel takes of “Hey, Jude” “Isn’t It A Pity”and “Mercy Mercy Me.”
Of course, though, no one, and I mean NO ONE, knows how to convey the deep yearnings of a woman like Ms. Flack. Her duet with Hughes on ”Tonight” was a soulful embrace, while “Feel Like Makin’ Love” had her combine youthful vigor with a wink in the eye slyness. Showing clarity and alacrity at the piano, she sounded both confessional and declaratory as Brown’s acoustic guitar serenaded her on “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” while giving a heavenly cry to “Mercy Mercy” and getting celebrative and stomping on “Back Together Again” as Hughes and Flack created a vocal rich sorghum of sweet lyricism.
In an age of flaunting everything you’ve got or wish you’d got, it was reassuring to see and hear Ms. Flack remind us Angelenos that “soul” can be a noun or a verb if put in the right hands.
Upcoming at Pepperdine is Betty LaVette March 4
photos by Jeri Jones