BJ The Chicago Kid has long been an underrated voice in the American R&B and soul scene.
He's truly an artist's artist, someone who has worked with rap legends such as Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg as well as jazz and funk artists like Anderson. Paak and Robert Glasper. While he might not be a household name in Australia, he definitely has some hefty laurels to rest on.Stopping over in Melbourne before heading up to Byron Bay's Bluesfest, BJ played his first ever Australian show at the Northcote Theatre last night (16 April) and I was lucky enough to catch it.
Entering the venue a little early, I was able to appreciate the openness and beauty of the space, and find a good spot to set up for the support – Zimbabwean-born Australian songstress Thndo.
Thndo was fitted out in a gorgeous red dress and gold, shiny overcoat. With her keyboard player Lewis as accompanist, Thndo kicked off the set with a modern R&B-influenced number called 'Gag Order', a song about the frustration of having to dull one's shine as a person of colour.
Another slow groove entitled 'Bedroom Eyes' was a hit amongst the crowd, and her song 'Happy', about the way anxiety can weasel its way into your life, was also well received.
Talking about her album, 'Lessons In Love', which was released on Valentine's Day this year, Thndo quipped: "As an artist you can't go through traumatic sh.t without finding a way to exploit it and revel in the delicious sadness."
Thndo's voice is so beautiful, with the emotion, power and agility of all true soul singers, but with a more modern songwriting approach that lets her personality and sense of humour shine. I'd say her sound is a bit like Jill Scott meets Jazmine Sullivan. The crowd clearly adored her, and it was clear her sound was a great match for BJ the Chicago Kid.
After a little while, a DJ came out to get the party started with some old-school soul tunes before going crazy on the decks, showing off with an insane scratch breakdown. After this, BJ's drummer appeared and began playing live drum beats along to the DJ's tracks. It was a great combo of digital and live sounds, and something I've never seen before. Looking at the setup I realised the DJ and drummer would be the only accompaniment for BJ.
As the groove hit harder and harder, BJ emerged in a clean-cut white shirt, khaki shorts and a blue NY cap, stylish and simple. At 40, he looked as baby-faced as ever. Over a driving funk beat, BJ worked the crowd, getting us to clap, shout and sing before he had even performed a song.
The first tune was 'Church', a classic BJ track from the 2016 'In My Mind' album. This song feels like a great homage to the roots of R&B because it's about love, lust, and having church in the morning. We were then treated to a shortened version of 'Feel The Vibe', a nostalgic tune about family cookouts released by BJ and Anderson. Paak on BJ's 2019 album '1123'. Then we heard 'Love Inside', a raunchy number from the 'In My Mind' album.
Addressing the crowd, BJ told us it was "the first time ever in my life performing in Australia". While BJ's crowd-work did follow a classic formula, his approach felt genuine, spreading the love across the audience, serenading specific people, pointing to "you with the red shirt" for example.
After a brief interlude where he told us "I speak knowledge. I speak prosperity. I speak peace," we heard 'Best Night Of Your Life (Intro)', which features a beautiful solo by pianist Elijah Fox, before some snippets from across the rest of his catalogue.
This was all leading up to BJ's simply beautiful rendition of 'Liquor Store In The Sky', his 2023 song with rapper Freddie Gibbs. He dedicated the song to someone he had lost last week, and to any audience members that had lost someone special to them. This tune was definitely a highlight of the evening, as BJ sang with the soul and grace of someone who really means it. I definitely shed a tear or two.
To bring the tempo back up a bit, BJ jumped into his smooth-soul track 'Never Change', recorded with Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. BJ described the song as an homage to the good times he shared with his late father.
BJ then said he felt "being a real G" was about "paying homage to those who have paved the way for you". This introduced the next section, a rolling medley of classic soul and R&B tunes that he pulled off effortlessly with his incredibly soulful and expressive voice.
We heard part of 'Turn Your Lights Down Low' by Bob Marley, the Isley Brothers' 'Hello It's Me' and 'At Your Best (You Are Love)' (popularised by Aaliyah), 'Candy Rain' by Soul For Real and 'Nice & Slow' by Usher. Throughout these homages, BJ's voice roamed free, his ad-libs flowing smoothly and painting each tune with a coat of his unique sound.
BJ commented that "there's nothing like those old tunes," and admitted they still "get him through some of his hardest days". He explained he felt this performance was "very much a mutual exchange" of soul appreciation, asking us to share his music with the future generations, just like his family had shared old-soul music with him.
Returning to his originals, BJ performed two slow-jam tunes: 'Time Today', a single from 2019, and 'Good Luv'n' from 2012. The grooves played by Steve the drummer were simply impeccable and had people bopping without even realising. His fills would have been epic enough for a stadium show, let alone a local theatre gig.
After performing a gorgeous rendition of his 2021 single 'Smooth', the DJ brought us back to a remix of 'Church', and BJ decided it was time to turn the lights up on the crowd and "have a party". He descended from the stage and leant against the barrier, serenading groups of people at the front.
Then we were finally treated to Turnin’ Me Up, arguably one of BJ's most popular songs with an undeniable groove that had us really moving. Asking the crowd if it was anyone's birthday, he proceeded to shout each one of them out and then sang an incredible a cappella version of the 'Happy Birthday' song. It was great to have the opportunity to hear his unaccompanied vocals. As a singer, BJ is clearly influenced by old-school soul icons such as Al Green and Smokey Robinson, and he can really pull off this kind of singing.
Delving right down into some of his earliest discography, BJ then performed bits and pieces from his 2012 project 'Pineapple Now-Laters', including an a cappella chorus of the song 'His Pain II', which features Kendrick Lamar.
For the finale, BJ and his team played the trap groove 'Studio', BJ's song with LA rapper ScHoolboy Q. The refrain of the song is 'I'm just sitting in the studio trying to get to you, baby.' Well, he was definitely getting to us, and as he walked off stage we were very sad to see him go.
Though it was clear an encore hadn't been on the cards (the house music had come back on), the electric intensity of the crowd's chanting and clapping inspired BJ to come back out for one more a cappella treat: the chorus to 'Open Your Eyes' by Bobby Caldwell (which is sampled in the rapper Common's hit 'The Light').
BJ the Chicago Kid is clearly committed to not only the sound, but the culture and legacy of R&B and soul. It was an honour to experience a beacon of that culture in person, especially at a time when we all need a little more light.
