R&B artist Kelela took the stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday night as part of the CMJ Music Marathon 2013. Flanked by the more electronic and energetic Empress Of and Glasser, Kelela gave a more stripped-down, bare-essentials performance and earned plenty of applause from the crowd.
Kelela herself required no keyboards, laptops or even instruments for her set. She stood alone at a microphone stand with nothing directly behind her, save for her DJ and his equipment at stage left. The artist infused powerful vocals into a futuristic, tech-fueled R&B sound.
But therein was the true beauty of Kelela brought to the stage. She unleashed her vocals with gusto amid the background effects, but all the while she maintained the raw, soulful power at the core of all great R&B. The stage dressing was a reflection of Kelela herself: simple but wonderful.
Kelela recently released a mixtape called Cut 4 Me, and she was pleased to perform some tracks from it for the Brooklyn audience. She joked during the set that now, finally, the fans actually know what she's singing when she performs these tracks.
The vibe during Kelela's performance was subdued and calming, but the artist really let her power come through during "Enemy" and "Floor Show." The former track is a scathing message to a former flame punctuated by rapid-fire synth sounds, little backing beats and Kelela's energetic vocals. And she was clearly enjoying herself as she performed the song.
"Sometimes, you gotta spell it out for these motherf*ckers," she said during a break in the lyrics.
