Concert Review: Tom Odell Is The Piano Man of Irving Plaza

There is an undeniable “Billy Joel” quality to Tom Odell’s style that had the audience feeling like he was the Piano Man of 2019. He is an absolute raucous on the piano; using his cheeky humor and excellent musicianship to make the night feel like a pub crawl through Britain’s finest places of ales and jazz. The result was a night that relied solely on the electricity of his voice and personality.

Like The Piano Man, Odell sings the “songs of the pub.” It is as if he grabs his journal, gets a beer, and sits at a bar booth to overhear the happy hour conversations of people trying to get by: the lovers trying to love each other better, the poet trying to maintain his dream over a Goldman Sachs job, and the waitress supporting her family while asking if she support herself. In other words, to hear Odell is to hear the storied lives of others and, perhaps, yourself. There was no denying that the audience felt a deep connection to his music; as if he was the musician you put on when you don’t want to dream ….you want to realize. 

Vocally, Odell has a voice that will wake you up. He loves to riff away, and tracks like, “Jubilee Road,” “Grow Old With Me,” “Till I Lost,” and “Somehow” gave the opportunity to show his imaginative range. Like his piano keys, Odell knows which note to carry and hold until an image is sparked. Honestly, his vocality could be considered an energy field, and it is backed by a band that knows how to make their instruments bleed sound. From “See If I Care” to “Sparrow,” the band did not cower from a chance jam out suites and support that Odell loves music. Of course that may seem obvious, but some people really do have a deep connection to songs. 

Singing the gorgeous, unreleased tracks, “Before The Curtain,” Odell brought out Courtney Marie Andrews and revealed the magic to making a hit ballad. It was a gorgeous song that spoke to Odell’s favorite music themes like, redemption, romance, and feeling like either is an impossible dream. Overall, Odell gave an exceptional show that proved you really do go to a concert to see who an artist as much as to hear them sing. For More Information On Tom Odell Click Here.