Masego is kinda a big deal.
The jazzy Jamaican-American R&B artist struts such a comfortable stage presence that an absolutely packed audience at The Forum was lured into a sublime comfort last night, swaying gently as the aproned 30-year-old blasted through a hit-soaked setlist.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
The set was restrained: a mid-height backing LED screen that was largely contained to the singer’s logo, and a tight two-piece backing band that provided one of the highlights of the night with a phenomenally groovy drum solo. Sure, he threw some roses and on Black Anime, (fake?) dollar bills. And there was the occasional Gnarls Barkly flourish to keep everyone on their toes. Still, everything about Masego’s performance and those of his onstage counterparts was cool, confident, and controlled.
It made the performance go by in a flash, as even Masego’s “nasty” tracks, brimming with sultry synths and sax, seemed to flow effortlessly into more jazz-oriented numbers. It was all incredibly enjoyable though with everyone in the audience taken aback at just how talented the multi-instrumentalist is, particularly when he encouraged members to hold up words on their phone screens and proceeded to lightly improvise a looped track.
The last time we saw Masego live, sultry was the word indeed, as we noted blithely – “Hey guys, just so ya’know, sex still sells. And at 170 Russell on a humid summer’s evening, it costs around $50. As Masego, the nom de plume of Jamaican/South African musician Micah Davis proves that if a sneeze is one-eighth of an orgasm then dancing that well, hitting those high notes and Charlie Parker-ing the shit out of a saxophone basically gets you all the way there.”
Last night’s performance was still full of allure, but in a refined, sophisticated manner for a Monday night crowd that needed to be uplifted but not overwrought. Support act Silo was just as perfect for the audience. A truly wonderful night.
Check out Masego here.
