A Noz-oustic Soul Train (click for video)

December 19th, 2006 posted by robb

Justin Nozuka (CD Release Party)
The Drake Hotel 12.13.06
8/10

Walking in the Drake Hotel on Wednesday, I was expecting an intimate and low-key acoustic show. What transpired was a night of high school rockin’ and shakin’ rain of young energy that made rethink my notion of “acoustic-soul”.

I arrived at around 10:20PM to Pat Robatille finishing up his solo set to an inattentive crowd. The ads posted a 10PM door opening, but unbeknownst to me the doors were actually at 9PM. It was a shame that I missed his set. I’ve heard about this young Windsor kid that’s got a get set of vocals.

Next up was We Are the Take, stripped down to an acoustic set with its core singers Craig Stickland and Erik Alcock. They had a bit of a rocky start thanks to a piano slightly out of tune, and a few jitters to work through. But once they belted out “Let Me Rule Your Life” and “I Will Wait For You,” they were in their element. WATT’s catchy chorus-drilling pop songs were built around piercing 2-part harmonies that forced the crowd to pay attention. As I listened to their set, I couldn’t help but keep thinking what their full band would sound like. I felt a few holes in the acoustic set that I think would’ve been answered with solid drum and bass support.

Justin Nozuka took the stage a little of after 11:15 PM. That’s late for an acoustic singer/songwriter show, but hey, may be it’s just me getting old. I first came across him at the Hillside Festival on the summer. Nozuka has got an infectious acoustic soul sound, reminiscent of Ben Harper, Amos Lee and sexy alto-diva India.Arie, with an incredible range of Stevie Wonder falsettos and a (dare i say) few sprinkles of Justin Timerlake.

Nozuka had quite the following of mostly female fans at the front and his own teenage/early 20s friends, which then made me see his “The O.C.” indie-artist potential. The crowd roared through most of his songs, knowing most of the tunes. “Criminal”, “Mr. Therapy Man” were big hits and during “Be Back Soon”, a break-dance circle broke out in front of the stage. The stage also took a turn to a rowdy Studio 54 floor when a tipsy girl took the stage and did her own cheerleader dance routine beside a blushing Nozuka (see video). Who knew acoustic-soul could set a flame to everyone’s shoes like this?

In the middle of the set he thanked his mother (in the crowd) and dedicated the next song, “Oh Mamma” to her. Nozuka’s CD also titled “Holly,” the name of his mother. You can still feel a humble nature and innocence on stage and through his music, which kept the night feeling fresh and genuine. Although he was still young, he had hefty things to say, with words about war, social change and spousal abuse.

As the night progressed, only the hardcore friends at the front of the stage stayed to the very end. I guess I wasn’t alone thinking this was a late start to the set. Pulling out six encore tunes to dwindling crowd was a bit taxing as the clock moved well-past midnight (on a school night – it wasn’t like we’re at the Opera House for a Supernova battle of the bands or anything). Perhaps he should have ended off a little earlier when he had the crowd wanting more, but it was his CD party… it was his night, so let him celebrate!

Nozuka pulled off a show that demonstrates that young talent can fell outside of the typical emo-punk element; a new wave of acoustic-soul is here. And with Nozkua’s album hitting Top 5 Albums downloaded in R&B/SOUL, it looks like it’s here to stay.

REVIEWED BY: ROBB ENG

Section: Uncategorized