By Odeisel
(9/10/209 Highline Ballroom, NYC) In boxing, they say styles make fights, but in other realms, that is also true. Normally when it comes to shows, you place artists of similar ilk together as a package so that fans of different tastes won’t be turned off by different artists. Many shows you go to maintain that line of thought, but on this night at Highline Ballroom, convention was seemingly abandoned. On the bill was recently released John Forte, of Fugee affiliation, and Murs who occupies a lane all his own.
John opened the show seated, on acoustic guitar. Admittedly I hadn’t had much experience with his music outside of that single “Staying Alive.” Over seven years away can change any man and Forte is no exception. He has adopted a new style courtesy of advice from god mother and benefactor, legendary singer Carly Simon who encouraged him to try finding his voice through signing. The results were at times fledgling and at other times riveting.
He admittedly knew only a few chords but his voice was gravely and spiritual, and his words rich with the conviction and perseverance of one who lost his freedom and was lucky enough to have that liberty returned to him with a commuted (Not expunged or pardoned) sentence. There are vocal stylings that recall a pensive Marley-ish sound. While not as assured and powerful, even a neophyte listener can hear the influence.
His lyrics are rich and his rapping voice is strong and crisp, with the authority that comes from the familiarity of the medium. His diction is clear and measured. While there was only acoustic and electric guitars and a minimal backdrop, Forte’s performance lacked the “hippie-ness” of a spoken word performance while maintaining an earthy urgency. John Forte’s music is at once immediate and necessary while still exploratory and self deprecating; lyrically arrogant yet stylistically humble. I don’t recall him having this kind of artistry but I can see myself buying his music as a good change of pace. The intimacy of his show was akin to an MTV unplugged and I think with some fine tuning, this new music of his could find a solid group of fans who will support.
On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the inimitable Murs. He took the stage without an intro and just went into his music. Murs is not a stadium artist. You may never see him rock tens of thousands but on an indoor more intimate venue, there are few that can project themselves and translate their humanity better. He is the rare artist that combines talent, energy, humility and ego with comedy for stage performances that pull the audience onto his field
Murs turned a storyline into a full concert which was almost like a musical. Songs like the 9th Wonder-produced “Silly Girl” and “Bad Man” provided the sonic foundation Murs’ storyline monologues, which discussed meeting women, feelings of love and anger, the willingness to leave, the desire to get back together, and the insanity of many relationships. There were many points where the audience, a very heterogeneous mixture of fans, was absolutely in stitches and at no musical lull were we not summarily entertained.
Murs can’t dance, but he can do the running man con mucho gusto and top it off with the old school jump over your leg bit, which makes for entertaining comedy with the hair flying all over the place and the rock star energy.
The allure of Murs as a performer is his transparency. Song’s like “Hustle” are frank and honest and his music is not preachy but real in a non belligerent, non supern***a way. He gives you tales of South Central Los Angeles with all the consequences and none of the glamour and you can feel when you’re listening that this is heartfelt music. To top it all off, he concluded his show and descended into the crowd to take as many pictures and sign as many autographs as the audience desired. That’s REAL Hip-Hop.
Two very different artists with two totally divergent styles took the stage at Highline, and despite their very real differences as performers, they were one in the spirit of realness. We were treated to the heart of one artist who just returned to freedom and another who revels in his freedom from Hip-Hop convention. If you get a chance to see them, either separate or together, go see them. It’s well worth the price of admission.
