Concert Review: Treya Lam Inspires The Future of Music At Joe’s Pub

Playing at Joe’s Pub, Treya Lam’s show was so impactful and stunning even children silently stared. You can always tell someone is entertaining when kids stay still and watch. Yet, you would not expect Treya Lam to be a “kid’s entertainer”, especially when the songs from her new album, Good News, are far from what Barney would sing.

There she was ready to say so much, even having a notepad of thoughts, when Treya Lam said, “You know what? I just hope you get everything I want to say through my music.” On that she played and we received. Lam’s new album seems biblical in title and effect. Nearly every song, from “Sapphire Skies” to “End of The Road” was about needing to come undone to remake yourself. In perspective, the ideas are tied together; the problem is that no one feels reborn when they are falling apart. As what we know leaves us and what we love fades, our “new self” has to be born through pain so that it can receive the love of its “new world”. Such a notion build Lam’s depressing road to soaring optimism.

Whether she is backed by a mini-gospel choir or alone, on stage, with a blue light shining over her as if Heaven wanted to say “Hi!”, Treya Lam’s lyrics are like a testimonial, “You share your life with others, but you take it on your own.” Again, she brings depth to the obvious, which is why her show feels like a series of epiphanies. Yet, the biggest realization was the control and beauty of Lam’s voice. My God! She wields her vocals like a pilot; as each note rises she assures all her passaging emotions are safe, sound, and seen. Considering her new album, ranges from Western blues “6’s+7’s” to orchestrated ballads, “Nothing”, Treya Lam has so much material to play with. She brings out the theatricality of her voice if it is elemental: ranging through earth, wind, water, and fire as it pleases. Maybe, that is why the kid liked her.

I kept on thinking, as I saw the child watch Treya Lam in awe, is this “that moment” celebrities always talk about? The one where they saw a musician play, when they were children, and became inspired be musicians as adults. It was an moving moment because you never know who or how you will inspire, but there is no doubt that Treya Lam has and will. For More Information On Treya Lam Click Here.