Michael Kiwanuka, sublimated sadness

He was spotted on the festival's free stage by a certain Claude Nobs, who propelled him onto the prestigious Auditorium Stravinski stage the following day. Ten years later, Michael Kiwanuka became the voice and master of a collective dream on July 6 in the Montreux Jazz Lab, during the soul evening initiated by the excellent Joel Culpepper and Black Pumas. Echoes.

In the end, the Lab's first concert on July 6 in Montreux, an evening of coherent neo-soul, was not performed by Gabriels. Never mind, we're here to discover English R&B singer-songwriter Joel Culpepper, with his distinctive timbre and impressive vocal power. With his star-rimmed glasses and exposed muscles, he's a charming artist who addresses the audience with his dancer's steps and crooner's poses, smooth vocals and high-pitched flights of fancy. There's nothing more infectious than his smile. His ease and his universe set the stage admirably for what's to come.

Black Pumas, a hit

The second concert was given by Black Pumas, a soul-blues-rock band at the height of its fame. It was clear that the audience had come as much for this band as for Michael Kiwanuka. Singer-guitarist Eric Burton, a veritable beast on stage, addresses the audience, his face expressive and his body in motion, like his voice, which oscillates between near-murmurs and breathtaking throws. The arrangements are modern and warm, with a touch of vintage. The overall groove is fantastic, and the audience is quickly won over.

Shortly after the show began, he suddenly jumped right into the audience, having merely signaled with his hands for them to make a little room for him. From across the room, people looked for him as he moved through the crowd. It was a huge hit! Guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada, with whom Eric Burton founded the band in 2017, stays in the background while delivering virtuoso solos. The concert flies by at breakneck speed.

Michael Kiwanuka and his backing singers

The most eagerly awaited moment has arrived. Michael Kiwanuka’s entrance isn’t exactly spectacular. His concert stands in stark contrast to the other two. While staying true to the soul genre, his sound draws on folk and Afrobeat influences. The British musician of Ugandan descent brings a different vibe to the stage—and a different way of being, too. Shy, humble, and unassuming: that’s the impression he gives, hidden behind his microphone, an uninvited performer during his quirky intro. In fact, his fellow musicians don’t fare any better in terms of stage presence.

The backup singers, on the other hand—oh, yes! Ah, the backup singers. Those charismatic backup singers—so moving, so captivating, so enchanting. If this concert had to be dedicated to anyone, it would be to them. Building on their already central role in the studio versions of the songs, they soar in concert to new heights of improvisation and vocal performance. They brought a tear to the eye of this writer, no doubt during the extended finale of the stunning Solid Ground, with its deceptive piano (electric)-voice airs, concealing the coming surge in power, further reinforced live.

An enchanting, melancholy dream

But this concert is a whole that cannot be separated into its individual parts. It feels like a dream lasting an hour and a half, with the blend of low and high voices, the languid instrumental passages crafted like journeys, and the chromatic, ghostly transitions that already make the albums so magical. Michael Kiwanuka excels as a master of the collective dream, without needing to put on a show like his predecessors on stage. As a result, the audience’s focus on the music is heightened.

Everything is polished, but there are three highlights: the rhythm and efficiency with One More Light in the second title played, that of beauty with Light, one of the last singles, placed in the middle of the concert, the disco ball culminating on the stage like a source of light, and the emotional one with a panel of songs towards the end of the show, including Solid Ground, and the aforementioned Cold Little Heart.

The four notes of electric guitar which, in its long version, inhabit the introduction to this great success will have been absent. But they can be found throughout his work. The blues scale, made up of just one and a half extra notes, has that eternal charm of lending itself to all the variations of the same melancholy. But you have to know how to sublimate sadness, as Michael Kiwanuka does.

Write to the author: [email protected]

Header image: Michael Kiwanuka at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 6, 2022 © Marc Ducrest

You've just read an open-access article. Debates, analysis, cultural news: subscribe to support us and get access to all our content!