Last weekend, something magical happened at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Corinne Bailey Rae made her way to the beautiful building and shared her latest album Black Rainbows. Now at first that seems like any other show where a musician is touring in support of their latest album. But this Black Rainbows show felt different. Maybe it was its inherent connection to Chicago as the album is inspired by the art at the Stony Island Arts Bank. Maybe it's Rae's decision to only focus on the album and truly let it breathe new life in a live setting. Maybe it's because Corrine Bailey Rae is just that damn good. Honestly it was all that and more.
I couldn't think of a better act to start of the show than Jon Muq. He instantly connected with the crowd, not only through his impressive voice and guitar skills, but by sharing his own personal story of growing up in Uganda and finding himself as a singer-songwriter in Austin, Texas. Stories like making his first viral video gaining him a job singing aboard a cruise ship, something that neither he nor his friends believed was real, had the crowd completely enthralled. He relayed the query that nestled in his and his friend's mind when the offer came in, "How is the building floating on the water?" which the crowd immediately laughed with alongside Muq.
Songs like "Runaway", which evokes the feelings of constantly moving from place to place as Muq has, were matched with stories of his new life in Austin and the little things that are often lost in translation. He spoke of a misunderstanding with a bartender and feeling like he was unwelcome in this new place he had found himself in, only to be told the phrase "You ain't from around here are you?" was meant with curiosity, not negativity. The song itself puts Muq's voice in the limelight, letting it shine as bright as it can. " Go spin it" he said and was promptly corrected by the crowd that it's "Go stream it." But as a vinyl enthusiast, I wanted to correct them as I couldn't wait till the song reaches vinyl and I can go and spin it.
With his first album on the way next year, produced by Dan Auerbach no less, Muq is clearly on the right path of becoming a full blown star. He ended his set with what he described as a dancehall inspired track "Shake Shake". If it weren't for all the pews and reverence the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel carries, I'm positive the crowd would had been dancing to the incredible song.
At the time of the show, Black Rainbows had not been released, It actually wouldn't be till the next day that people would have been able to hear the majority of Corinne Bailey Rae's album. So it's safe to say that much of the album came as a surprise to the crowd and we were not prepared for its majesty. The opening instrumentation of "Black Rainbows" was ushered in by her band coming down the center of the chapel, then settling at the sanctuary before Rae emerged onstage. Donning a magically sparkling robe atop of a magenta jumpsuit full of butterflies and eyes, Rae beamed with excitement. This wasn't the first Black Rainbows show, but it certainly felt like a hometown set as she and her band dove into "A Spell, A Prayer".
The presentation that night was impressively crafted, with every song embodying its themes perfectly. Some songs really took to that notion within their performance like "A Spell, A Prayer" which saw Rae utilizing a singing bowl or the grand unification in the finale of "Earthlings". More often then not though it was Rae guiding the crowd through her songs with a gentle hand as she described the works that birth them. These moments between tracks never felt like a history lesson or overtly preachy, but a genuine desire to share and shine a light on very specific aspects of Black culture that was fully embraced by the audience. Each story not only opened the doors to understanding the songs better, but worked together seamlessly to elevate each other.
Black Rainbows is as sonically diverse as the objects and art Rae garnered inspiration from, which were brought together at the Stony Island Arts Bank by Theaster Gates who was brought up on stage early in the night. A song like "Before The Throne Of The Invisible God" shifts to hazy instrumentation lined with booming percussion that washed over the crowd before the twinkle of chimes and Rae's smoky voice broke through. Then "New York Transit Queen" (which came from an image in Ebony of Audrey Smaltz who won the Transit Queen competition in 1954 when she was 17) is a loud and riotous punk gem that stands out thanks to the intensity in Rae's vocals, guitar work, and stage presence. "Peach Velvet Sky", which stems from the life of Harriet Jacobs (author of the 1861 book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl), is a beatific ballad that places all the attention on Rae's voice as she imagines what the sky must have looked like for Jacobs once she was free.
For the final song of the evening, Rae and her band delved deeply into "Earthlings," a song that finds itself in the center of the album proper, but couldn't have been more fitting as a final song for the evening at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. The song starts with uniquely robotic if not alien tones gently placed around Rae's own stilted cadence. It then transforms into this glorious expression of humanity and desire to live in peace and dance. "Can't we take the lessons that we've learned and make a new Utopia? It’s up to us, give it a chance" Rae urged as the music swelled and grew into a never ending singalong with the crowd. She instructed the packed church to repeat the phrase "I know, that it won't be too long, I know, I know" and before you knew it the crowd was singing it all on their own.
Rae walked down the center aisle between the pews and slowly picked out members of the crowd to join her on stage, subsequently inviting anyone who wanted to come to the front to dance, sing, and be completely immersed in the evening's revelry of music. "I know, that it won't be too long, I know, I know" echoed time and time again, making the chant truly feel like a chorus you'd here on a Sunday morning at the chapel.
It was an evening solely dedicated to Black Rainbows, a gorgeous exaltation of so many facets of Black culture. Corinne Bailey Rae expressed her thankfulness to the joyous crowd for allowing her to perform something like this, something she did continually throughout the night and was lauded for by Theaster Gates when he shared the stage with her early in the set. I honestly think most artists wouldn't be as bold as Rae was during this show, letting only the new material stand on its own and delight the crowd. Would it have been nice to hear "Like a Star" or "Butterfly" off her debut? Or how about a deep cut off The Sea? Sure, but I sincerely think we were better off with this personal, emotional, and thematically satisfying night of Black Rainbows.
All photos by Julian Ramirez
