Michael Kiwanuka @ Webster Hall, September 18th

Words:

Only 24 years old, Michael Kiwanuka deftly hides his youth behind a scraggly beard and a penchant for resurrecting the soul stylings of a prior generation. On Home Again, Kiwanuka’s fantastic debut album, he channels Sam Cooke through the prism of Sly & The Family Stone at their most blissed out. The album’s lush arrangements conjure up an era of urban unrest fueled by the summer heat but quelled by the need to find a sense of inner peace.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

At Webster Hall, Kiwanuka did not attempt to present his album in all its ornate glory. Rather, on acoustic guitar, he led a relatively sparse band through the rolls of Home Again and I’m Getting Ready and a spacey run through Jimi Hendrix’ May This Be Love. Kiwanuka and his band often let the music take over, allowing songs like Tell Me A Tale to follow their own path. In a little over an hour, Kiwanuka not only showed extraordinary promise, he offered a glimpse at what might have happened had Jimmy Cliff or Toots Hibbert opted against reggae superstardom for a life of Van Morrison-style jazz and soul.

Here’s a full set of photos from Michael Kiwanuka at Webster Hall…

Jeremy Gordon

Jeremy Gordon is a photographer, registered architect, and current Jersey City resident. Beginning in a small bar in Teaneck, he started photographing local bands and eventually built up to such legendary artists as, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Etta James, Furthur, Phish, and Snoop Dogg. Jeremy has stated that live music photography at its best, is about capturing the split second of sweat and emotions shared between an artist and their audience and that the honor of standing in front of the creators of Rock and Roll and 20,000 of their loyal fans is one of the greatest thrills in the world. Jeremy can be contacted at gordonjer@gmail.com

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