Live music review: Emily King’s Celebration of Life and Self-Reflection at Antone’s
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”31″ display=”basic_slideshow”]All photos Brandon Sandler
Ed note: Guest post by Brian Hillsman
When dealing with hardship, change your outlook; keep it positive. If there is one message or sensation at which one might arrive after witnessing Emily King live, this may be it. It could very well be her graduate thesis. After seeing her show, one may feel the nostalgic sensations reminiscent of a gratifying, uplifting gospel Sunday church service.
The audience was enamored with the vibrant smile behind 90’s, undersized sunglasses and attire straight out of Like a Virgin-era 80’s pop. In a dash to front-and-center stage, King immediately broke into an energetic performance of “Remind Me,” a dance-inducing tune that established a celebratory mood for the evening.
King’s dance moves paired with passionate vocals captivated the congregation of mesmerized fans at Antone’s Nightclub as she effortlessly transitioned between musical numbers. Her synchronized moves with the back-up singers enhanced the performance. About four tracks into the set, King transitioned from 80’s-influenced synthy, dance pop, to a 90’s-era R&B, soulful rendition of “Radio.” Kicking off “Look At Me Now,” the fifth song of the set, Emily King removed her fashionably-undersized blazer, revealing her 1980’s throwback mesh top, subliminally gesturing her vulnerability to an already hyped crowd.
An inviting, open atmosphere developed through an array of synchronized dance choreography with her backup singers. By engaging the crowd in a fervent flurry of waiving hand claps, leading the audience in song and dance, King had their full attention. Her stage presence felt like the spiritual gospel act we hinted at earlier.
Ranging from soft, sultry, tones to intimate vocals and acoustic bluesy, soulful ballads, the singer simmered while delivering a sonic stream of tracks doused in 80’s synth-sonic melodies that can purge despair and hopelessness in a baptism of soulful melody. Her energy radiated throughout the venue.
With “Every Part,” King picked up an acoustic guitar, crooning ambient vocals with intimate enthusiasm. In transition to “Off Center,” she shared a personal anecdote of when she was fired from her previous record label. “No more fancy dinners and rides home…” delivered with an appreciative, yet sarcastic smile. Immediately, the singer/songwriter whispered soft melodies again over her acoustic in a Blackbirdesque execution that builds to a powerful crescendo with the full band and backup vocalist.
Between “Blue Light” and “Teach You,” King makes the declarative statement, “the only acceptable form of complaint is singing.” This is a reoccuring theme in her performance. The sarcastic funk ballad, “BYIMM” in which the chorus “…by you I mean me,” conveys a fun, witty theme of self-appreciation.
The exclamation mark on the night was the tale of life change and introspective self-growth that prefaced “Go Back,” a powerful coming-of-age number inspired by King’s moving out of her mother’s house in New York City, and into the Catskill mountains as a means of reflection and inspiring sacrificial betterment. Amen to the results that followed.
