Rockin' Chicago's music scene didn't stop after seeing Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters at Grant Park. No, it was time to rock some more with her friends of Alice Sweet Alice at Hard Rock Cafe. From Kansas City, Mo, this band was on a summer tour in support of their latest release, Ribbons & Stone opening for headlining local band Pez Band.
It has been a long while since SouthSide has seen Alice Sweet Alice performing on stage and this was a great opportunity to hear selections off Ribbons & Stone live in front of a crowd at this River North venue. Opening the set with a rather somber but lively tune Glorious Excess that impressively demonstrated the dynamic mixed with soul in Ali' vocals, this band, blogspot readers, showed signs of progression since the last time this reviewer saw them. The tone of the evening was more focused on bringing out the soul and heartfelt sound in the vocals as well as keeping the music on an upbeat tempo (at times) even though the subject may be slightly heavy handed for such a tempo.
For example, check out the song, Spiral (track 7 on the album) in which Ali, in this reviewer's honest opinion, shined underneath the staged lighting as she poured not only her heart but also her soul into the microphone delivering such a powerful tour de force of emotions. And this wasn't the only moment either. She kept the powerful vocal display going during M.I.A. (track 3 on the album) amidst an energizing alternative rock sound and Scott (Alice Sweet Alice's bassist) backing her on her vocals. His deep baritone voice added more depth and meaning to the lyrics at the chorus. Scott took the audience All Around The World (track 5) with his deep heartfelt tone while grooving to that unique music combination of a haunting melodic sound intricately woven into an upbeat rhythm thus creating a nice danceable beat. During this particular song, Alice Sweet Alice almost had a powerpop/shoegaze vibe going on at Hard Rock Cafe.
The song of the night for SouthSide would have to be Alice's Full Circle where you felt more than just Ali's vocals on the lyrics ...you literally feel the pent up electric charge and energy as she soulfully wows the ears! This was her intense "I am woman hear me roar" moment on stage, blogspot readers, especially during the chorus. She truly showed us what it feels like to be frustrated when a relationship going so good has now reached its full circle and wasn't the woman to be pushed around with flimsy promises and such. And though the lighting sequence for this song was a bit distracting when switching between the bright white to violet, it along with the music wonderfully matched Ali's vocal temperament and tone before closing the show with Burden Of Truth - another powerful display of vocals amidst a vibrant powerpop-like vibe within rock alternative sound.
Even though it was a rather short performance for Alice Sweet Alice, blogspot readers, SouthSide does highly recommend checking out this band live at their next show as well as snagging a copy of Ribbons & Stone. This reviewer recommends listening to the title track first before putting the rest of the CD on random mode to hear the other selections like Heroes, Breakout and Worth The Wait. Fans will enjoy the dark overtones within a couple of Alice's songs but don't let that scare your ears away ...it's to highlight the heartfelt emotions being projected within the lyrics. For information about Alice Sweet Alice, visit http://www.alicesweetalice.com.
Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide
It has been a long while since SouthSide has seen Alice Sweet Alice performing on stage and this was a great opportunity to hear selections off Ribbons & Stone live in front of a crowd at this River North venue. Opening the set with a rather somber but lively tune Glorious Excess that impressively demonstrated the dynamic mixed with soul in Ali' vocals, this band, blogspot readers, showed signs of progression since the last time this reviewer saw them. The tone of the evening was more focused on bringing out the soul and heartfelt sound in the vocals as well as keeping the music on an upbeat tempo (at times) even though the subject may be slightly heavy handed for such a tempo.
The song of the night for SouthSide would have to be Alice's Full Circle where you felt more than just Ali's vocals on the lyrics ...you literally feel the pent up electric charge and energy as she soulfully wows the ears! This was her intense "I am woman hear me roar" moment on stage, blogspot readers, especially during the chorus. She truly showed us what it feels like to be frustrated when a relationship going so good has now reached its full circle and wasn't the woman to be pushed around with flimsy promises and such. And though the lighting sequence for this song was a bit distracting when switching between the bright white to violet, it along with the music wonderfully matched Ali's vocal temperament and tone before closing the show with Burden Of Truth - another powerful display of vocals amidst a vibrant powerpop-like vibe within rock alternative sound.
Even though it was a rather short performance for Alice Sweet Alice, blogspot readers, SouthSide does highly recommend checking out this band live at their next show as well as snagging a copy of Ribbons & Stone. This reviewer recommends listening to the title track first before putting the rest of the CD on random mode to hear the other selections like Heroes, Breakout and Worth The Wait. Fans will enjoy the dark overtones within a couple of Alice's songs but don't let that scare your ears away ...it's to highlight the heartfelt emotions being projected within the lyrics. For information about Alice Sweet Alice, visit http://www.alicesweetalice.com.Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide
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