{"id":1455,"date":"2018-03-27T13:10:22","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T18:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=1455"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:24:01","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:24:01","slug":"review-the-a-beez-emily-elbert-camille-merendail-dj-lduke-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-0322","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2018\/03\/27\/review-the-a-beez-emily-elbert-camille-merendail-dj-lduke-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-0322\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: The A-Beez, Emily Elbert, Camille Merendail, DJ L’Duke @ Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum 03\/22"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
Photo by Hannah Rogers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Thursday, March 22, Boston\u2019s the A-Beez performed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to debut their new album titled <\/span>Say Goodbye<\/span><\/i>. The show was held in the museum\u2019s Calderwood Hall, a venue unlike any I have ever seen. It is the shape of a cube, with chairs set up on the floor right next to the band and four more floors ascending to the ceiling, with two rows of seating on each floor. There were also rows and rows of lights which looked like stars when the lights went dim, and created a very ethereal and relaxing environment. The A-Beez\u2019s set was opened by Camille Merendail and Emily Elbert, with DJ L\u2019Duke providing some pre-show beats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Camille Merendail, only fourteen years old, sang her own renditions of Amy Winehouse\u2019s \u201cBack to Black\u201d and Hozier\u2019s \u201cTake Me to Church\u201d with impeccable vocals. She was accompanied by an acoustic guitar and piano player.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emily Elbert, a singer-songwriter who attended Berklee College and has multiple EP\u2019s available on iTunes, followed up with some soulful, well-written originals. Elbert\u2019s silky, feminine, but deep voice, accompanied by her stellar electric guitar skills, provided for a very serene and sincere musical performance. From upbeat, jazzy tunes like \u201cCome Too Far\u201d and \u201cVisitor\u201d to more heartfelt, subtle songs like \u201cEasily\u201d and \u201cHere and Now,\u201d Elbert proved to be a very talented musician, with the ability to write complex and genuine lyrics. The song that stole the show, \u201cTrue Power,\u201d was a politically charged, rock \u2019n\u2019 roll\/bluesy jam, criticizing President Trump with lyrics like \u201c<\/span>soak up the scandal drink up the diversion<\/span><\/i>\u201d and \u201c<\/span>fear monger your days are numbered.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As we waited for The A-Beez to come out, I could tell there were a lot of locals there ready to listen to a band they knew and loved. Having never heard of the A-Beez, a group started by husband and wife Aaron and Amy Bellamy, I drew from the crowd\u2019s excitement and was not disappointed when they finally took the stage. The group\u2019s sound cannot really be categorized into one or even a couple genres. Their music has elements of jazz, funk, blues, and even a hint of psychedelic. The combination of multiple instruments\u2014piano (Amy Bellamy\u2019s an amazing pianist), drums, bass (Aaron Bellamy\u2019s fort\u00e9), guitar, trombone, saxophone, congas, and even chimes\u2014matched with Melissa Bolling\u2019s and Toussaint Liberator\u2019s vocals, provided groovy, get-up-out of your seat, bob your head types of arrangements that had the whole audience dancing throughout the show. <\/span><\/p>\n

They started out with the funky, instrumental tune \u201cEverything Must Go,\u201d which included what I assumed to be some killer improvisations from the horns. The next song, \u201cFolded Flower,\u201d a smooth, jazzy, but funky beat, introduced Melissa Bolling\u2019s vocals to the mix. Bolling had the perfect jazz voice with a wide range and an effortless vibrato. For the next song, \u201cHey Neighbor,\u201d Bolling was accompanied by Toussaint Liberator, whose voice reminded me a bit of Stevie Wonder, for a super groovy and upbeat, conga-heavy jam about \u201copening up your heart.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The next few songs off the album\u2014\u201cSay Goodbye,\u201d \u201cPopcorn Scrimpz,\u201d and \u201cWithout You\u201d \u2014 further displayed the group\u2019s remarkable instrumental talent and ability to play off of each other\u2019s improvisations. \u201cWithout You\u201d particularly stood out, as the crowd snapped along to the beat, and was accompanied by silky harmonizations from the vocalists. This tune made me feel like I was sitting on the porch on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon. The band ended the set with \u201cThreatening Black Male,\u201d an energetic, almost tropical-sounding dancey jam (which included a fun and intense conga solo) sung by Toussaint Liberator, and \u201cIt\u2019s Gone,\u201d an ethereal, slower song with more relaxed instrumentals (and a soulful, smooth guitar solo) in which Bolling showed off Mariah Carey-esque high notes. <\/span><\/p>\n

The A-Beez came back for an encore, to play a song called \u201cPatch\u201d written by Amy Bellamy and Sinclair Jennings, before he passed away four years ago; she told the crowd they\u2019d built the song around his vocals. The song started with an understated intro with funky bass and an ethereal, high-pitched keyboard. The tempo increased as the song went on, leading up to a dramatic pause and a strong instrumental finish. The crowd, including myself, showed our appreciation for he A Beez\u2019s musical talent with a standing ovation to finish the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

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-Hannah Rogers<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n