It was a pleasure to see James & Black a male/female vocal duo perform.
My wife and I have seen over six hundred gigs together over ten years; this was only the second male/vocal duo we have seen and the first since BeBe and CeCe Winans in 2010. This is not through choice but because there seem to be very few such duos around.
We had not heard of James & Black before we booked, nor had we heard any of their music, so this was gamble and one we did not regret.
Bruce James and Bella Black come from Austin, Texas. They are currently touring small venues in the UK. They have named their music ‘Guerrilla Soul’ which is influenced by the soul sounds of Texas, New Orleans and Texas. Most of their songs are self-penned and are underpinned with a funky beat.
Unsurprisingly, the songs that I liked best were covers of songs I was familiar with; but their own songs are of good quality but are the type of songs that require a few listens to fully appreciate the lyrics and melodies.
Bruce and Bella both took the lead on some of the songs and their voices blended well. Bruce is also a highly competent pianist and they were supported by Sam Kelly on drums and Andy Hodge on Bass.
My favourite songs of the night were The Beatles ‘Carry That Weight’ and the cover of an Alan Toussaint song. ‘Prefer It Black And White was my favourite of Barry and Bella’s original songs (there was something special about it that captivated me), followed by ‘Jonah’
Rarely do US acts play venues outside of the big cities, if they come to a venue close to you; they deserve support and are worth a listen.
Johns London Music Reviews 