By the time Raphael Saadiq - former bassist of 80’s and 90’s swing and R&B outfit Tony! Toni! Tone! and known then as Charlie Ray Wiggins – hits the stage at the ACLFestival, he should be a household name once again. Staying relevant with last year’s Grammy-nominated solo album The Way I See It, Saadiq recently performed everywhere from Bonnaroo to the Stockholm Jazz Festival. Leading the way to the revamped R&B throwback album era are Joss Stone, Corrine Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones. It’s about time one of the guys returns to Hitsville with one of their own. Saadiq hits the Grand Salami.
Saadiq’s bass playing roots are prevalent in the heavy stepping vibe and he pairs it with a soulful vocal delivery. Here’s a little nugget from his website www.raphaelsaadiq.com and a recent video performance from Sept. 28, 2009 , on NPR’s Tiny Desk. Along with guitarist and right hand man, Rob Bacon, Saadiq performs “Love That Girl,” “100 Yard Dash,” and “Sure Hope You Meant It.” After your mind is blown by these acoustic numbers, try to imagine it with a nine piece band on stage Friday evening…
Now stop imagining things and go catch a Mowtown hit for real.
