Concert Review: Baby Rose, To Myself Tour
February 27, 2020
When Baby Rose released her debut mixtape, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, on SoundCloud in 2017, we were introduced to an already polished vocalist and songwriter, someone whose mere existence cut against the grain of the musical landscape. Artists like SZA, Jhene Aiko, Jorja Smith, and countless other had come to dominate the mid-2010s, indie R&B scene, known for their feathery vocals placed over subtle trap-style beats. If nothing else, that was the sound of an era, and a sound many had grown accustomed to.
Listening to Baby Rose’s debut mixtape, it’s evident that she was drawing from a different tree of influences, partly by necessity, and partly by interest. Baby Rose’s vocal range, which is substantially lower than her counterparts, recalls an era of Jazz and soul singers of the past. You can easily make vocal comparisons to Anita Baker and Toni Braxton, the phrasing, diction and vibrato of Ella Fitzgerald, and the storytelling mechanisms and soulful compositions of Amy Winehouse. Baby Rose is a cut against the grain in the best of ways, and bright spot in a seemingly homogenous landscape.
After releasing her debut album, To Myself, an intimate exploration of love, heartbreak, and the confidence to move, Baby Rose set out on her debut headlining tour. On Sunday, February 23rd, Baby Rose played The Foundry accompanied by Saleka Night, Bobbi Storm, and DaVionne.
Sunday night’s lineup, which featured four women, showcased the range and diversity of R&B, each pulling from a different strain of the musical tradition. Philadelphia-native, Saleka Night, served as the first opener, singing her original music, followed by Bobbi Storm, a Detroit-native who comes in the great tradition of powerful female vocalists (specifically Detroit natives), and DaVionne, a native of Savannah, Georgia and self-described disciple of Erykah Badu, rounded out the list of openers.
Baby Rose opened the night by performing Pressure and Borderline from her album debut album, two songs that immediately set the tone for the night - introducing the audience to her brand of music - as fans passionately sang along. After the opening two songs, Baby Rose took the chance to introduce herself, and thank fans that had come in the past to support her when she was an opening act for Ari Lennox and Snoh Aalegra.
Baby Rose then went on to perform a medley of ballads — In Your Arms and Over, then seamlessly transitioning into Frank Ocean’s Super Rich Kids. Baby Rose’s influences showed through most when playing songs like Ragrets, reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, and All to Myself, composed like much of the Blues and Jazz standards of the mid-1900s.
Baby Rose’s live show is incredibly well done! Given it is her first headlining tour, she didn’t have many of the bells and whistles you’d commonly see with more established artists, but I found that to be endearing. She sparsely used used backing tracks, the stage was designed by her team, and the band was tight the entire night (my guy Larry was killing every song throughout the show!!!), paying great justice to the records while still offering fresh interpretations of the songs.
Baby Rose closed the night with All to Myself, then Show You as an encore.
Band: Larry Lambert - Keys; Craig Shephard - Bass; John Scherer - Guitar; Tauseef Anam - Drums
