It's funny but people will accept certain music if it comes to them through a certain channel or packaged a certain way...but not if comes to them through an unfamiliar channel or packaged in an unfamiliar way. Or sometimes people won't even hear the music if it doesn't come through a channel that they use. Everything is divided up in America into little marketing channels and now, thanks to the internet, with almost infinite choice, people can make so they only tune in to what is familiar to them or what they already like. The ultimate example of that is Pandora which via computers will design the equivalent of a radio station tailored for each individual, based on that individual's apparent tastes. Some think that's wonderful and in a way it is but the downside is that most of us don't know that we might like something different until we're exposed to it and that often that happens by accident or when it is forced on us. Back in the day Top Forty radio played Motown, The Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Bobby Blue Bland, Dave Brubeck and whole mess of one-off hits drawn from rock 'n' roll, r & b, country, folk and jazz, as long as it was a "hit". The Singing Nun could become a worldwide hit and so could Hi-Heel Sneakers by Tommy Tucker. And everyone would be exposed to them because there was no choice!
These thoughts were in mind my when I saw Laura Izibor at World Cafe Live in Philly. There's been a media buzz on her due in large part to her bi-racial identity (Irish mother, Nigerian father) and the fact that she's been pitched as a soul singer from Ireland. Her first single "From My Heart To You", a smash hit in the UK, has been an urban ac hit here in America. It's a good song, rooted in R & B. I'd only heard a couple other things by her, which hadn't made as much of an impression. The crowd at World Cafe Live was an interesting mix, fairly evenly split between black and white with some other ethnicities in there, a seemingly earthy, muilti-cultural vibe. If she hadn't been promoted via urban ac radio, I think most of the African-American folk there would not have been present and if she hadn't been promoted to a Triple A radio channel I don't think you would have seen as many Caucasions. The album has only sold about 50,000 copies in few weeks of release, pretty good for a new artist though not great considering the radio hit.
Her band--drums, bass, keyboards, one female backing vocalist and a trumpet--was tight, small probably because of limited touring budget; interesting that she chose to have a trumpet rather than guitar(though the bass player picked up an acoustic guitar at strategic moments). Laura came out, tall, slender, perched in high-heeled boots and wearing a medium Afro, framing classic Irish features leavened by a beige complexion. Her music was not all like the single, only some of it r & b rooted. She sometimes sat herself behind a keyboard and played while she sang, other times stalking the stage in a relaxed, easy-going strut, not overly flashy or intense. Her music ranged over territory reminiscent of Joan Armatrading, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Amy Winehouse and any number of singer-songwriters, which is what she is even though often pitched in the media as a "soul singer." She draws on R & B of the Sixties and Seventies often enough but she is hardly limited by it. As a performer, she was engaging, cracking jokes in an Irish brogue. As a singer, she can put across a song though she does not have a spectacular voice. Some of her material is not exceptional and in those cases she could come across as a little bland. But when she has a strong song, as was the case about half the time, she was impressive. What was refreshing about Laura Izibor was that she was herself, no apologies and no pretense, and the diversity of her personality came out in diverse musical expression. She really doesn't fit a music-biz "slot". The sell-out audience loved her; she is clearly connecting with people and that gives me hope, that even today a new artist can get over with simply high-quality, expressive, honest music-making without gimmicks or image-mongering. That is indeed good news!
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