If a soul singer is really going to impress me, it's going to happen in a live performance. It’s in a live setting that you can really witness whether a singer’s voice is effortless or a “studio voice”.
Last night at
Casa del Popolo in Montréal, I checked out Toronto soul singer,
Joni NehRita, as part of a performance with
Green TaRa and the fabulous
Chi Turner. First of all, I “oohed” and “ahhed” at the sweet vocals of Chi: his falsetto sounds like syrup dripping from high altitudes. Then, this unassuming songstress who is simply introduced as “Joni” sits down at the keys, plays a couple of bars and… sounds like what an
Erykah Badu and hip hop J
oni Mitchell hybrid would sound like. Admittedly, I still have to listen to NehRita's CD that was just released earlier this week, called, “A Fine Time,” but right now, I can attest that in live performance her voice and stage presence are stellar and come off as endearingly natural.
For a rock and hip hop fiend like me – my foray into the world of Canadian R&B music is limited and my tastes, well, snobby at best. But Joni had me hollering and cheering like I haven’t at an R&B show in a while.
Peep the technique: Joni NehRita. Apparently, she’ll be uploading her tunes to our New Music Canada site this week, but in the meanwhile, you can check her out on
MySpace.
