It’s too bad that only a handful of people were on hand at the Drake last Thursday to witness the Toronto debut of Canadian-via-England singer Rachel Zaffira. Her debut record – The Deserters is a mesmerizing and dreamy album that should at least make the Polaris long list for this coming year. Surprisingly enough, it has slipped under most people’s radar (including mine) but after a recent stint on Q, it would appear that Rachel Zeffira won’t be off the radar for too much longer.
For a women with a soprano’s voice, it would be very easy for Rachel to have gone full American Idol on us, yet instead, her vocals are controlled, relaxed and smoothing. Bringing along a full band (along with two backing singers), Zeffira easily recreated the lush sounds that permeate throughout her debut album. There were so many people on stage I thought it was a Broken Social Scene reunion. The large band served Zeffira well – her songs are like a well constructed meal – a little bit of this, a little bit of that, all the little ingredients combine for a fuller experience. Sure, she probably could have ditched the Oboe, but that would be like trying to make a really tasty poutine without cooking the fries in duck fat. It just isn’t the same. Even with a Beatles cover and a My Bloody Valentine cover, the show clocked in at under an hour. Still, the brevity of the concert did not stop it from putting you in a dreamy, ethereal and very relaxed state. I had visions of rivers and lush greens flowing through my head for some reason. No I was not smoking weed.
Due to some bureaucratic reasons (as documented by Frank), Zeffira won’t be touring any more cities this time around. Catch her next time.