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Show Review: Black Pumas
House of Blues Houston
My artist’s solo date of the month? A concert for a genre I don’t typically listen to: Psychedelic Rock.
The Grammy-nominated American soul and psychedelic group from Austin delivered stellar vocals and a musical experience that provided the psychedelic high I didn’t expect to get. Vocalist Eric Burton artfully blended a sound that felt like a long lost brother to Kendrick Lamar and Andre 3000. He spoke messages and he sang melodies to our hearts and our minds. They made us move more than just our feet and hands.
The Set List:
Gemini Sun
Know You Better
Fire
Touch the Sky
More Than a Love Song
Chronicles of a Diamond
Mrs. Postman
Stay Gold
Oct 33
Colors
Encore: Rock and Roll
Part of the reasoning for taking a solo artist date is to engage myself in expressions that call me deeper into a connected state where fear of sharing art and ideas vanish. This concert was the epitome of that kind of expression and I was inspired and motivated. The transcendence it made across my heart, which is typically committed to 90s Hip Hop and old school R&B or Soul music, was swift and deep. The song “Touch the Sky” reverberates what love’s stamina can do when it is allowed to elevate us after pedestals are removed. My ultimate favorite, however, was “Chronicles of a Diamond” which feels like a summer day in a convertible driving 10 miles an hour. You are dragged into untangling the message about pursuing success but remembering to keep deep connections. The song that certified my embodiment of the year I was born, it was none other than “Fire”. It had a groove that felt like it was produced by Isaac Hayes. Having never heard the song before, it was an easy sing along as Eric admonishes in the chorus “if there is a pain, baby, call the doctor, don’t be afraid to say, “I need you” I will understand.
I’ve now downloaded their entire music catalog for a slowed down exploratory at home experience.
