crédit photo: Sarah ODriscoll
POP Montréal is undoubtedly one of the major fall events for true music fans. From Wednesday, September 27 to Sunday, October 1, dozens and dozens of discoveries and acclaims from artists nestled in pop are taking place in Montreal. Follow the PAN M 360 team until Sunday!
Make no mistake, Afro-American folk is not a new thing – it’s all a question of distribution and perception. It’s been around for a long time, and on Friday we had a more than convincing example of it in the Hall du Rialto.
Admittedly, it’s far too early to assert that Californian Annahstasia is of the musical caliber of a Nina Simone or that her writing could one day reach the level of Langston Hughes. Let’s not get carried away, but… It’s crystal clear that this artist exudes depth, singularity and uncommon talent. We can’t but bow down before the absolute elegance of her being, her voice (a tad flayed at the end of the program), her folk, her instrumentation – acoustic and electric guitars, cello, bass, percussion.
Content and form combine perfectly, personal commitment expressed with the poetic distance necessary for the best songwriting. In short, there are no apparent flaws in this brilliant, magnificent woman, blessed by the gods. Admittedly, she uses materials that are a tad dated (folk, jazz, chamber music), but… what a use! To make something new out of something old, and to revitalize classical forms, is reserved for very few artists. Our relationship with Annahstasia is still in its infancy, we assure you.
M.I. Blue
In first part of program, M.I. Blue a fact his talent. With a penchant for soul/R&B, folk and jazz, she took to the stage with a sober instrumentation of guitar/bass and drums, and carried off her original repertoire, including an evocation of Nat King Cole or even a bossa nova interlude. Her classicism and refinement are immediately seductive, and her alto voice reveals an artist in full emergence of her musical identity. That said, M.I. Blue has not yet won her spurs, and more stones will have to be added to her edifice before we can conclude that she has truly asserted her identity. For the instant, on recognizing his talent and observing the development suite.
Fraud Perry et Backxwash
At the end of the evening at Piccolo Rialto, we enjoyed the spectacular presence of Montreal rapper and singer Fraud Perry. She plays it very sensually and fully assumes her hypersexualized persona, yet thirsts for freedom, autonomy, and self-assertion. Her lyrics often evoke virtual conversations, and muscular dialogues with various interlocutors, often men and women who don’t approach her at the desired level and whom she soon brings down to her level, i.e. face to face. The beat-making is solid and multi-genre, drawing on grime, hip-hop, trap and soul/R&B. The general drawl can be vulgar and direct but doesn’t leave anyone indifferent. Without question, Fraud Perry is something special.
At the end of the night’s program, African-born trans artist Backxwash was summoned to replace rapper Junglepussy at short notice. The Montrealer reminded us why she won the Polaris Prize in 2020. Expressive bombast! Hardcore and metal beatmaking propel this paroxysmal, extremely violent and oh-so-addictive rap. Backxwash’s return to Montreal heralds the next chapter in her atypical career.
