Concert Review: Samora Pinderhughes Is A Spiritual Retreat

Have you ever been apart of spiritual retreat? I have actually been to a few, and the one thing that always surprised me about these retreats was the eagerness of people to say their pain, see their hurt, and have it mutually connected with someone else’s wounds. Suddenly, every anxiety and trauma we kill ourselves to hide from the world, waterfalls from us, with this desperation to be purged, even if it is in front of strangers. It is like “Green Lights” go off and everyone bursts open the pains they piled, and it was hard not to feel like Samora Pinderhughes was our “Green Light.”

From his songs to a Q&A on mental health, inertia, and the vulnerability of being a person/ artist in this world, people teared at Samora’s voice: both sung and spoken. Perhaps, it is because we knew the night, at National Sawdust, was dedicated to discussing and singing to healing and clearing ourselves, but there was this instant ambiance that said, “Crying is not a joke, and being hurt is not a weakness.” This may seem obvious, but who has not looked at someone else crying and felt awkward even averted by him or her. For Samora, that ish has to end, and he has the talent and the stories to do it. 
Samora Pinderhughes Venus (feat. Jack DeBoe) Performs “Gatsby” on The Checkout Live

Samora has a Donny Hathaway quality to his voice, which explains why he has worked with Robert Glasper. Both men are our modern, “Motowners;” bringing a level of classic excellence and emotional musicianship to the current, music scene. When he got on that piano, it was as if the world told, itself, to hush so that it could absorb the silk milk of his voice. If someone had dropped a pin on the floor, everyone would have felt it and said, “COULD YOU STOP BEING SO LOUD!” Yet, that eagerness to absorb his words was not because he was sharing his turmoils and flaws, but because he was sharing his healing. 
Common – Good Morning Love feat. Samora Pinderhughes

Thanks to Sounds of Saving, the night was one of a kind, especially for someone like me who, despite my spiritual retreat history and my psych degree, I always feel so bad when I hear another suffered. I can’t watch the news without thinking of that meme of Spongebob getting up from the sofa and saying “Aight! Imma Head Out of EARTH!” Yet, Samora Pinderhughes’ show was an example of why transparency and authenticity, especially in how we create, is so valuable. We go to shows like his not because we want to cry over our wounds or hear sad stories, but because we want to acknowledge them and feel there is a space where we can relieve the pressure of always carrying them without every trying to soothe them. With a voice as tender as his heart, Samora Pinderhughes is a deep, spiritual retreat that is also  an awesome show. For More Information On Samora Pinderhughes Click Here.