Recap: Raphael Saadiq at Fine Line

 
by Rob van Alstyne
 www.twincities.decider.com
March 16, 2009 


With Marvin Gaye more than 20 years gone and precious few of the original soul masters still alive, catching Raphael Saadiq’s Friday night gig at the Fine Line Music Café was the closest any Twin Cities soul fan would get to experiencing the magic of Motown. Unapologetic classicist Saadiq’s Grammy-nominated album, The Way I See It, is so retro in sound that the uninformed listener could easily assume it was recorded more than 40 years ago (except for a few glaring tells like a cameo from Jay-Z).

Saadiq and his nine-piece backing band played their retro roles to the hilt during their 75-minute headlining set, showing up in tailored suits (Saadiq’s a startling yellow, the backing players’ black) and employing choreographed dance moves straight out of Soul Train circa 1971. The near-capacity crowd skewed older—plenty seemed old enough to have grandchildren—but that didn’t prevent them from getting down with their bad selves and shimmying as though defeating their mid-life crises depended on it.

As expected, the set leaned heavily on The Way I See It, with standouts including the brass-buoyed “Staying in Love” and sizzling duet “Just One Kiss.” Despite his youthful looks, Saadiq is no neo-soul neophyte. At 42, he’s been in the game for 20 years, which he made sure to remind the crowd by dipping into his deep back catalog. He included a mid-set medley of pop hits from his '80s outfit Tony! Toni! Toné!—featuring a surprise cameo by Mint Condition lead singer Stokley Williams during “Anniversary.”

The versatility of Saadiq’s massive backing band was on display throughout the night, so it was only fitting that he brought the evening to a close by ceding some of the spotlight to them, switching to the bass and letting his supporting players take turns at the mic. Judging by the audience’s rapturous response to Saadiq’s every move, there's a sizable crowd of people still starving for live band soul. Here’s hoping others join Saadiq in his quest to keep traditional R&B alive in an era dominated by auto-tuned plasticity and overly synthetic sounds.