Washington DC – The Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC has a free show every day of the calendar year. When you put on 365 free shows in 365 days, the quality of said performances are necessarily going to differ widely. Well, I’m happy to report the Stage is off to a good start in 2012, hosting a brilliant performance by Argentinian musician/singer/songwriter Sofia Rei on January 5th.
Sofia’s sound is just magical. It immediately evokes her South American origins – throaty, exotic, lively and a little folksy. Her actual voice is a force that puts pop singers’ tinny and overly-synthesized vocals to shame. I literally had to close my eyes to listen to it – just so I wouldn’t be distracted by the duller people, sounds, décor, etc. in the room. She sang a variety of songs that she wrote herself, including one called “La Gallera” which she said was inspired by her experience watching rooster fights in Peru. She also sang one or two songs taken from her knowledge of traditional folk music, including “La Ilorona” as well as a few songs she adapted from other South American singer/song-writers, including “El Tamalito” by Andres Soto. All her songs were in Spanish (which I can neither speak nor understand) but the language barrier didn’t even register in terms of enjoyment – the vocals and instruments were just beautiful.
Sofia was definitely the star of the show – sporting a beautiful summertime, open-backed gown, as well as fun summer accoutrements such as an armband and big colorful hoop earrings – but her band was also exceptionally talented. She was supported by three musicians, Eric Kurimski on guitar, Edward Perez on bass, and Yayo Serka on drums. All great.
Sofia was definitely out of my ‘normal’ music league but I was so happy I got to see her. I would definitely recommend checking her out if you have a moment to spare.