- Depending on who you talk to, James Blake is the next great hope or the latest product of the hype machine. You rarely meet someone into music without an opinion on the young UK producer. One thing is for certain, though, his first performance in New York was definitely going to be an interesting one. The sold out show saw the likes of Bjork, Antony and Dave Grohl sprinkled throughout the crowd. And it was an appreciative crowd: Blake got the sort of ovation you'd expect from the end of the show as he set up center stage in front of his keyboard. (He was accompanied by two band mates, one responsible for percussion and the other set up in front of a sampler and guitar.)
At first glance, Blake seemed timid and reserved. That all changed as the first note of "Unluck" was delivered. All the musical elements came in sharp and distinct with his ranging falsetto confidently and effortlessly outdoing the recorded version. From there, he went through most of his full-length with near perfect versions and subtly morphed renditions. Among the numerous highlights of the night, Blake's rendition of "To Care (Like You)" revealed that a vocoder was the secret behind what sounded like the antagonizing female voice on the album.
Some of the crowd seemed genuinely shocked, and the effect elicited random howls from the crowd. During "Lindisfarne I & II," the stillness of the songs allowed everyone to hear Blake's polite but penetrating voice on total display. Shortly after that, we were treated to his cover of Feist's anthemic "Limit to Your Love." The song was easily the rowdiest moment of the night: As the bass-riddled body took shape, it seemed to shake the room. Say what you want about the enormous hype about Blake. At his debut New York gig, he more than delivered.