Photo by Bill Brownlee/Special to The Star
It was unclear who had more fun Wednesday night at the Record Bar, Nikka Costa and her band or the audience of about 200.
Great soul music is joyous and liberating. Accordingly, there was no shortage of smiles and uninhibited dancing both on and off the stage of the intimate Westport club during Costa's 80-minute performance.
In the five or six years since Costa last performed in Kansas City, several other artists -- Sharon Jones, Joss Stone and Amy Winehouse among them -- have achieved varying levels of acclaim reviving the sound of classic soul. Now 36, Costa faces an uphill battle to reclaim her spot as one of the music's great voices.
While consistently brilliant Wednesday, Costa simply might be too gritty and authentic for mass consumption. A slight Prince influence aside, Costa makes few concessions to modernity. Only on the deliriously fun "Everybody Got Their Something" did Costa resemble a mainstream superstar.
She toyed with the zipper of her bell-bottom jeans on the sensual "Love To Love You Less." Also risque was the playful audience participation in "Cry Baby." The song is from her forthcoming album on the resuscitated Stax label, an appropriate home for Costa's raw sensibility.
A moving version of the acoustic-based "Push & Pull" ended in tormented wailing, one of only a handful of times Costa unleashed her enormous voice. Not a showoff, Costa reserved her most impressive vocal displays of anguish and unbridled joy only when it was in the service of a song.
Best of all was Costa's reading of "Denial Twist." Just as Aretha Franklin made Otis Redding's "Respect" her own, Costa now possesses the definitive version of the White Stripes song.
Costa never stood still. She even drummed on "Happy In the Morning," a move that shifted the focus to her outstanding band. All seven members were exceptional, but the clear audience favorite was barefoot trombonist Elizabeth Lea. Her greasy solos and gleeful enthusiasm embodied the night's ecstatic spirit.
Most Record Bar patrons were aware that soul legend Tina Turner was also performing in town Wednesday evening. Even so, almost everyone in the small club knew they were in exactly the right place.
Pictures and Sound aren't a soul band. Yet the group led by former Blue Merle front man Luke Reynolds was a pleasant opening act. They sounded as if Jack Johnson had abandoned his career as a gentle folk troubadour to lead a cover band dedicated to cult new wave act The Feelies.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
Just as I thought, the most fun I've had at a concert all year! She never fails to deliver. Nikka has a great relationship with the audience. Even if you're in the back, at the bar, she makes you feel a part of the action. James Brown would've been proud!
Posted by: wadkc | October 09, 2008 at 04:46 PM
nikka deserves a big stage. hopefully her album will do ok and it will have legs and get her summer gigs. imagine her as a late in the day set at bonnaroo or wakarusa; it would be a party.
as for the crowd last night, it felt like a friday night at the start of a 3-day weekend in july. it was crazy and hot and all the right things. every woman in the room danced like they were a bridesmaid and they were at their best friend's wedding reception. you don't see that at too many shows.
good times | chris
Posted by: concert chris | October 09, 2008 at 06:18 PM