Jordan Rakei in Berlin

New Zealand-born, London based singer, songwriter, musician Jordan Rakei, who recently released his fifth, and best album “The Loop”, is currently on a lengthy tour through Europe. The immensely sophisticated and yet, very personal and intimate songs from this masterpiece were at the center of his show last night at Huxley’s in Berlin. “I see strange people everywhere I go”, a line from his brilliant “Cages”, seemed exceptionally appropriate when I dropped off the subway at Hermannplatz. But anyway, he turned the piece into an exuberant romp, including some rousing percussion work. In other pieces, Jordan and his excellent band really had this compelling way of interweaving pop elements and hooklines with stylish r&b and soul, and an extra portion of jazz thrown in. Case in point: his mesmerizing cover of the Donald Byrd mid-70s classic “Wind Parade”, where he also showed his magic on the keys. The whole show was well-rounded and had a better choreography than on his last stop in Berlin in early April 2022 which we also reviewed here.

He also included several tracks from his earlier albums, like the still resonating “Send My Love” from his 2021 LP “What We Call Life”, “Mad World” from his 2020 album “Origin”, or “Sorceress” from his 2017 album “Wallflower”, which also received a five-paw rating from Gina. I like the fact that he is changing his setlist each night, as he recently wrote on his Instagram account. So it would be interesting to go and see another show while he’s on tour. And it’s also a good way of not wearing those songs out too soon. I’m glad that he included “State Of Mind”. Currently our fave from his new album, it was actually one of the most intense moments of the show. He was totally in control of his voice; its shape and sound voluminous and flattering, easily moving through the registers. It was pretty impressive on “Flowers” and “Learning” too, both songs off his new album.

If you’re anywhere near one of his next tour stops, you know what to do:
9/12 Hamburg – Übel & Gefährlich
9/14 Stockholm – Kägelbanan
9/15 Oslo – Rockefeller Music Hall
9/16 Copenhagen – Vega
9/18-20 Amsterdam – Paradiso (all three shows sold out)
9/22 Brussels – Ancienne Belgique
9/23 Cologne – Stadthalle
9/24 Paris – Élysée-Montmartre
9/26 Manchester – Albert Hall
9/27 Bristol – Beacon
10/01 London – Royal Albert Hall
10/04 London – Royal Albert Hall
More dates in November in the US and Japan. Please check www.jordanrakei.com