Jarrod Lawson in Rotterdam
He’s on a short tour through the UK and the Netherlands and after a stop at Groningen’s Spot on Saturday, singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Jarrod Lawson was playing LantarenVenster in Rotterdam on Sunday night. Backed by a superb rhythm section which he met in the UK a few days prior to this performance, and a three-part brass section of Dutch musicians with minimal rehearsal time, it was a little wonder how tight and on the spot the musicians reacted on stage. Jarrod started off his set fittingly with “Music And It’s Magical Way” from his debut album from 2014. Sitting behind a premium Nord Stage keyboard, it was clear from the start that we would be in for some serious soul, funk, and rhythm magic. His voice is brimming with a thick, soulful, and very intense timbre, which can also be as smooth as caramel peanut butter on the slower numbers.
Having heard him several times over the years, from his New Morning show in Paris back in 2015, to his Berlin show a few weeks later, a brilliant set at the Iridium in New York, and a visit to North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam, his shows have always been pretty organic, rhythmically challenging, with his intricate harmonies and arrangements all building up to something incredibly fascinating and satisfying. The tunes he chose to play from his second LP “Be The Change” (2020), Gina’s five-paw-rated album of the year, proved just that: there were sublime moments during “Embrace What We Are” and the title track, which was one of his final songs of the evening. His easy changes to his falsetto voice always worked in super cool ways. His beautiful tribute to his wife, “Evalee”, a slightly blues-drenched piece, was another highlight. He also included “I’ll Be Your Radio”, the thumping midtempo swayer which the band delivered in a superbly funky version. And he added snippets of a rarely heard Stevie Wonder song from his 1971 LP “Where I’m Coming From”, an often overlooked Stevie LP which came out a year prior to the start of his legendary series of classic 70s LPs. “Do Yourself A Favor” had more oomph than you can imagine. He was totally shining on the beautiful ballad “Love Isn’t Always Enough“, a soul ballad which they don’t do anymore these days, extolling and all-embracing.
Other cover versions he included in his set: a dynamite romp through “I Would Die 4 U” from Prince (Philip Lassiter, who has worked with Prince, was playing trumpet yesterday) and a totally mesmerizing “Footsteps In The Dark“, the Isley Brothers classic, both of which he also released as singles. And it is still hard to believe that he easily topped the Earth, Wind & Fire version of the cult classic “Can’t Hide Love”, written by Skip Scarborough and first recorded by Creative Source in 1973. But he did! (Dionne Warwick’s recording, produced by Jay Graydon in 1982, remains my favorite version). Jarrod also added his latest single into the mix: “Next Move”, recorded with singer Raquel Rodriguez, was at least as intoxicating in his solo version. And the two new pieces he premiered from his upcoming next album (hopefully out in the first quarter but you never know) sounded exquisitely promising.
Those two concerts in the Netherlands and the upcoming three shows in the UK are his only appearances in Europe this year so if you’re anywhere near the cities listed below, please do yourself a favor and “educate your mind”, as Stevie used to say. Oh and he also has the 7″ vinyl of “Next Move” in tow.
12/2 Bury St. Edmunds – Apex Theatre
12/4 Birmingham – Town Hall
12/5 London – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
