Concert Previews
Mariah Carey She earned critical raves for her jarring performance as a plain Jane social worker in the film Precious, then delivered a much-discussed, utterly loopy speech when accepting an award for it earlier this month. But no matter the current buzz
Mariah Carey
She earned critical raves for her jarring performance as a plain Jane social worker in the film
Precious
, then delivered a much-discussed, utterly loopy speech when accepting an award for it earlier this month. But no matter the current buzz on Mariah Carey, the soon-to-be-40 pop/R&B diva rises above it all when it comes to good ol' record sales. With her 12th studio album, the gold-selling
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
, Carey continues her amazing chart run (more than 62 million albums sold in the United States alone and second only to The Beatles in terms of No. 1 singles). While her live performances are filled with costume changes and a touch of drama - recent shows have had her descending to the stage from a glittering swing - Carey is a relatively laid-back presence, content to let her slew of backing dancers provide the visual punch while her pitch-perfect, five-octave voice excites the faithful. Fans can expect a mix of old favorites - including the 1990 chart-topper that started it all, "Vision of Love" - to newer tracks and even a well-chosen cover, like Diana Ross' "Love Hangover."
- Nicole Pensiero
James Blackshaw
In a perfect meshing of venue and artist, British 12-string guitarist James Blackshaw plays in the intimate Side Chapel of the First Unitarian Church on Thursday. On his transfixing acoustic albums, Blackshaw builds meditative cathedrals of sound, full of modal figures and hypnotic repetitions that call to mind Steve Reich and Terry Riley as much as John Fahey and Robbie Basho. On last year's mesmerizing
The Glass Bead Game
, Blackshaw broadened his palette with the wordless, angelic vocals of Lavinia Blackwall, with violin, clarinet and flute, and with his own piano and harmonium. He'll be solo at this show, but his 12-string conjures a world unto itself. Gary Higgins, a singer-songwriter whose 1973 album
Red Hash
has become totemic to the alternative folk crowd, opens.
- Steve Klinge
Galactic
Never a band to shy from collaboration, New Orleans unit Galactic enlists a hometown guest for nearly every song on its new sixth studio album, Ya-Ka-May. That includes a cross-section of the city's "bounce" hip-hop scene as well as inveterate soul singer Irma Thomas and R&B guru Allen Toussaint. Some of the more aggressive guests can overshadow the music at times, making the virtuoso instrumental numbers all the more welcome. But that shouldn't be an issue live, where the players reign supreme. When it comes down to it, Galactic is willfully alone in what it creates: a jam-happy mutant funk culled from the worlds of rock, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop.
- Doug Wallen