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Citizen Cope/Soulive: Webster Hall, New York, NY, 5/20/07 |
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Written by .
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Friday, 25 May 2007 |
Just a few years ago, the thought of a double bill featuring singer/songwriter Citizen Cope (aka Clarence Greenwood) and jazz-funk organ combo Soulive would sound strangely discordant, to say the least. But, as with all things in life, a few years have brought more than a few changes for Soulive and, since refocusing in late 2006, the New England-bred trio has refashioned itself a tried-and-true R&B ensemble.
Arriving at New York’s East Village hotspot Webster Hall as part of a Camel-sponsored tour, Soulive used its opening spot to show off its new persona, which comes complete with a new member, singer Toussaint. After opening its set with one of the best instrumental numbers from its early millennium-period, “Aladdin,” Soulive brought out Toussaint to help preview a handful of new tracks from its forthcoming Stax studio album, No Place Like Soul. At times, such as a set-closing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean,” Toussaint helped keep his new bandmates from meandering, while also showing off an impressive channeling of Robert Plant. At other points, especially when the group stretched out for a bit, his participation came just one cowbell clunk away from jumping the shark.
The addition of Toussaint has refashioned Soulive as a more layered, song-oriented band in the vein of its Stax forefathers. In this respect, the group sounded surprisingly similar to the evening’s headliner, Citizen Cope, who has spent the past five years carving out a series of organic-pop songs from a bedrock of roots-rock and R&B. Cope fronted an airtight band (including former Family Band keyboardist John Ginty) that remained in the dark throughout his set, offering colorful proof as to who is head counselor at Camp Cope. In turn, Greenwood’s stewardship yielded a series of choice sing-a-longs like “Back Together,” which effectively mixed soul beats with catchy college hooks.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 08 June 2007 )
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