Raised on the West Coast, Blacc began his career as part of the hip-hop duo Emanon. His first solo album, “Shine Through”, released on Stones Throw records in 2006, was a mishmash of hip-hop and soul that garnered him some critical but very little commercial success. It wasn’t until the release of the single “I Need a Dollar” off the “Good Things” LP, licensed as the theme of HBO’s “How To Make It In America”, that Blacc garnered mainstream attention. Musically, as well as thematically, “Good Things” has been compared (rightly so) with Marvin Gaye’s 1971 masterpiece “What’s Going On”.
While living in the midst of the greatest economic collapse since the great depression, “I Need A Dollar” could well be the theme song of the last few years; and what might have been dismissed 10 years ago as a retro throwback to the early ‘70s is now more relevant than ever. The same week in which we mourn the loss of Gil Scott-Heron, arguably America’s last great political artists, Aloe Blacc is one of the few willing to engage social and political themes; and does so from a deeply personal perspective without a hint of ego or bravado so often found in recent top 40 music.
Aloe Blacc plays the Belmont Saturday June 4th.
Tickets are $24 + TX/SVC and are available at:
Cheap Thrills – 2044 Metcalfe
Atom Heart – 364 Sherbrooke E
Off The Hook – 1021a Ste-Catherine
MOOG Audio – 3828 St-Laurent
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by François Dupraz
