Austin – Some people are just cooler than others. Raphael Saadiq is one of those people. Even at the age of 44, the former Tony! Toni! Toné! member makes a room more interesting with his mere presence. Such was the case at the Cedar Courtyard on Thursday when Raphael and his band delivered a healthy dose of old school r & b/funk as part of Filter’s Culture Collide showcase.
Armed with as many as seven other band members, Raphael spent the majority of his set laying down a soul and funk assault on the masses at the courtyard. Utilizing synths, guitars, drums, horns and multiple backup singers (including one female singer who definitely knew how to shake it). Heart Attack, a 9 minute romper featuring sick beats, relentless guitars and all that delicious stuff, kicked off the show and put the crowd in a good place. I’m not too familiar with Raphael’s Saadiq’s discography, but I believe a few of the tracks from the set were off his upcoming album Stone Rollin. I’m pretty sure a good portion of the crowd was quite unsure who Raphael was (I think most of them were there for the Vaccines/Foster the People) but a good beat is a good beat and you can’t help but get caught up in Raphael and all his band members enthusiasm. They sang, they clapped, they danced, everyone was having a good time, even the massive dude on the keyboard who must of been hot as hell wearing a full black suit on a 30 degree day. It didn’t matter, they were showsman. By the end of the set, most of the crowd at the front was doing a bit more then head bobbing.
Raphael Saadiq was one of the acts I had on my “must attend” list for this years SXSW and I am glad I was able to partake in his show. His new album, Stone Rollin is out later this year and here’s hoping he tours Toronto as well.
Here’s a video of the opening track.