Concert Review: Laura Mvula Sounds Like Virtual Heaven At National Sawdust
If electro-soul, funk, and R&B were mixed into a virtual swirl, Mvula’s sound would arise, but you’d have to go to Heaven to find her voice. Her vocal range seems as vast as this fantastical kingdom and has the ability to elevate any of a listeners’ current realities into euphoria. As mentioned it is her core, one of a kind essence that makes her concert seems so special. It is as if she is a treasure chest of gold that only a few have the directions to find.
The wonder of Laura Mvula is that she is a luxurious presence and an eclectic artist. While she is elegant in demeanor, there is a sense of richness to her as she graces across the stage and plays her multiple instruments. For Mvula, every rhythm she creates and note she strikes is another stroke upon her envisioned art, which is refreshing. Music is always spiritual, but few realize to see that it is its spiritual weight that makes it art. Hence, Mvula thrives on creating songs like Overcome and Phenomenal woman, which sound unlike anything you will hear from radio or another musician. To her, music is like a signature, it must be distinct to your being in order for others to identify you.
For me, when you sound completely like yourself, and thus unlike anyone else, you are treated as strange. I find that mainstream music, i.e. radio, has not been able to fully appreciate the majesty of Mvula’s “strangeness”. It is uniqueness that makes her an original that cannot be copied or matched. Laura Mvula is the only Laura Mvula you will find in music, while many other musicians can find two or three others that have been molded after their image. Yet, Mvula breaks all musical molds, which makes vivacious artistic image and sound doubled by her queenly energy.
