Lauren Sanderson Show Review 12/1

Sizzy Rocket

To be honest, I did not know what to expect going into this show. I don’t listen to artists I don’t know prior to their concerts, yet I dig the uncertainty and surprise factor. Opening for Lauren Sanderson was Sizzy Rocket , a high-energy pop singer from Las Vegas, Nevada. She can be best described as a mix of less intense of K.Flay, and a sprinkle of Halsey…if that makes sense… Right off the bat, my favorite tracks by Sizzy were definitely “Amphetamine” and her new release, “Juicy Fruit.” One downside that I didn’t enjoy much was the lack of a live band in the Sizzy’s opening set. Every song except for a couple (that were played on her piano) was played via her computer which got slightly monotonous at times.

The crowd was one 100% the most exciting part of the concert. It was around 90% female and absolutely exhilarating. By no means was the Vera Project packed during both performances, but it seemed like everyone there wanted to be there for BOTH Sizzy and Sanderson.

Alaska!

Sanderson’s performance was a engaging mix of rapping and singing. “Electric,” one of my favorite songs off her last album throws in a reggae-like beat in the onset, changes back to guitars, and perfectly accompanies her laid back vocal performance. Other standout tracks for me included “The Only One”, where the chorus reminded me of Sam Smith’s breakout track (“La la la”), and her cover of “Deja Vu” by Post Malone. Her cover of “Deja Vu” pays homage to her roots in YouTube covers, which most fans at the concert having been following her since.

The most admirable aspect of the Sanderson’s set was easily her conversations with the fans. At one point she had a 3 minute conversation with a fan in the front who brought a sign saying “Alaska loves Lauren Sanderson.” At a lot of shows where fans will bring posters and whatnot, they usually go unnoticed or ignored by artists. The fact that Sanderson acknowledged multiple audience members and had intentional conversations with them made a huge difference.

Jorja Smith @ The Showbox 11-19-18

Ravyn Lanae

It’s no surprise that Ravyn Lanae was the opening act for Jorja Smith – an enjoyable type of predictability. Lanae has been gaining a following of late, releasing R&B fan favorites such as “Free Room” (featuring Appleby), “Sticky”, as well as her brand new project, Crush EP.  Lanae’s vibe, according to my friend Amara, could be described as: “Ethereal Clementine Royalty.” Whatever that means. Because Jorja Smith and Lanae have reach over the same music genres and the same fans, a good portion of the crowd could still sing along and get jiggy with Lanae’s performance. Speaking of the audience, it was a pretty predictable group consisting mostly for 20 something year olds dressed in either Urban Outfitters or some other hipster garb.

Jorja Smith’s entrance was quiet, confident, badass, and everything in between: owning the stage from the get go. As she rolled through her songs, Smith focused solely on hitting the notes, setting the vibe, and less on directly interacting with the audience. In no means was this a negative; in fact, it was a huge “W” for Jorja. Her composure throughout the show allowed for small smirks, smiles, and dance moves to get the crowd going. Random note: in between most songs, Jorja would go directly to her cup of hot tea to soothe the throat (Pictured here). How British of her~

The set itself ebbed and flowed, songs transitioning from more bass-pumped, crowd-moving pieces such as her performance of “Where did I go” to pieces that made you want to melt, like “Lost and Found”.

Normally, when artists take a minute or two to breathe in the middle of the set, the aura of the place slowly turns into chatter and mumbles. Not in this case. After her performance of “I am” from the Black Panther soundtrack, she walked off stage and the band picked up right where she left off. They riffed off each other, guitar solo-ed, and got the room pumping.

At the end of the night, Jorja, in her signature way, grabbed the audience and never loosened her grip. That’s what great performers do.

Songs in a Sentence.

Heyo - My name is Alexander. In this post, I’ll be throwing some tunes that I dig your way. Catch is, I’ll review each song with one brief blurb. A sentence. Enjoy.

“Worry No More - Keys N Krates Remix” - Diplo, Keys N Krates featuring Lil Yachty, Santigold

Take notes: This is how you transform a weirdly heartfelt Lil Yachty, Diplo collab into a bop.

“Weekend” - Kane Brown

Grab a beer.

“MOOO!” - Doja Cat

Childhood lullaby instrumentals combined with your edgy mid 20s aunt’s commentary.

“Gmail” - Sheck Wes

Stingy Giorgio Moroder like synths meet the many flows of Sheck Wes.

“Master Groove” - Wizkid

Afrobeats just got married to Flamenco.