Tell Me Something Good: Stephanie McKay

So we went to the Afropunk/CMJ show last night and it was definitely one of my favorite times in an audience. I'd been wanting to catch Stephanie McKay since Jamyla and Pierre did an exittheapple feature on her in 2004, but seeing her live was amazing. That's her on the left. Sweat, sweat, sweat. The band was tight. Together they made a seamless blend of folk, rock, funk, and soul. I loved the way the songs addressed issues without getting preachy and invited celebration, leading with the heart. I don't remember ever hearing an artist of our generation who felt as genuinely soul as McKay before. Often our generation's soul gets wrapped up in nostalgia for a time before our birth, but even though they do a little retro thing, this was soul for now. They brought it, ok? I'm a big new fan. I'll try to say more tomorrow about the other acts.