A great band won't sit still; they need to be constantly writing and developing new material. It's the true sign of an artist to constantly evolve and perfect their craft.
Soulive is one of those bands, and their performance Friday night at the Center for the Arts proved it.
Headlining the Student Association Small Concert Series, Soulive rocked the crowd with a set list consisting of classics, covers, and a boatload of new material.
Soulive isn't a stranger to Western New York. Drummer Alan Evans and his brother, organist/bassist Neal Evans are City Honors alumni. They have played at Thursday in the Square, The Tralf, The Icon and just about every other venue in between. The band has developed a strong following here and it's no wonder why they always seem to make a little time for a stop in Buffalo.
Soulive has a reputation of constantly recreating itself while staying true to its roots. While the core of the band (Alan, Eric, and Neal) never alters, the band is constantly shifting. Some tours will incorporate horns; others will involve guest vocalists or rappers. Whatever the case, Soulive always seems to bring something different to the table.
That being said, it was almost guaranteed that they would bring something original. The band looked sharper, played tighter, and if it's even possible, preformed with more soul. Even earlier tunes from the Soulive catalog such as the fan favorite "El Ron" sounded fresh.
Halfway through the first song, students in the front rows started to stand up and move their feet. A couple dancing groups formed to the right and few more to the left. By the end of the song, those small clusters had merged and expanded, eventually turning into a much larger crowd.
An early highlight from the show was the eccentric cover of 2Pac's "California Love." Guitarist Eric Krasno sang the chorus with the help of a voice box a la Peter Frampton. Meanwhile Neal Evans laid down a heavy bass line with his left hand and a synthesizer solo with his right.
After a couple of quick numbers, an unidentified lead vocalist walked on stage to sing the new material. This unknown hipster had the presence of James Brown and the soft, honest voice of Al Green.
Soulive's new sound was more reminiscent of Hip-Hop, R&B, and especially Motown. This mixture is starkly different from their earlier work, which sounded more like an improvised jazz.
Not everyone was impressed with the new vocalist, however.
"All the songs were pretty good, (but) I don't know how I felt about the singer," said Sean McGill, a media study major. "He was good, but I don't know. I think if they are going to get a lead singer they need someone a little more versatile."
The new singer was on stage for about half of the songs, while the rest were performed by the original members. With Alan providing the beat, Krasno's use of multiple pedals, and the addition of Neal's arm independence, the trio can provide a sound much larger than one would suspect. At one point, Krasno's guitar sounded more like a saxophone than a string instrument.
Although opinions on the new tunes varied, the overall performance had met the crowd's approval.
"I loved it," said Amber Abdella, a theatre major at UB. "I was so happy to get a little groove on."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
