Taylor Hicks returned to a dark Highline stage in New York City last Sunday Night and slammed into his encore, the British pop sensation, “Bulletproof.”WHAT?
“Been there done that messed around
I’m having fun don’t put me down”
As in the British electropop duo, La Roux!
How do you make electro pop from real wood, brass and strings? I don’t know, but Taylor Hicks and his electro-charged band do.
“Bulletproof” took off from the deep beat that grounded the performance throughout. With the rhythm of guitar and tingy keyboard, New York had British pop. With the unmistakable raspy vocals of Taylor Hicks on top, New York had sensation!
An amalgamation of instruments and vocals followed. Taylor delivered the strong and terse no goin’ back message and the band brought the robotic rhythms with relentless power—worthy partners in the synthesizer-inspired sound for the boys from Birmingham—Alabama, that is.
Been there done that messed around,
I'm having fun don't put me down
I'll never let you
sweep me off my feet.
I won't let you in again,
The messages I've tried to send,
My information's just not going in.
Burning bridges shore to shore,
I'll break away from something more
I'm not to not to love
until it's cheap.
This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.
This time baby I'll be bulletproof,
This time baby I'll be bulletproof.
“Bulletproof” is a musical dichotomy—a bare bones instrumentation of rhythms and straight forward delivery along side an emotional message of losing at love. The harsh words and relentless beat put up that hard shield we think we can build around us when love has gone wrong too many times.
It belies what we always know—we are vulnerable.
Even though, we profoundly deny it…
“This time, Baby, I’ll be bulletproof.”
The free wheeling musicality of the sax solo takes this “Bulletproof”in a different direction. It is like a chorus that breaks free from the cadence to drive the message home another way.
I won't let you turn around
And tell me now I'm much too proud
To walk away from something
when it's dead.
Do do do your dirty words
Come out to play when you are heard
There's certain things
that should be left unsaid.
I was astounded as I watched video from the Highline and remembered the La Roux “Bulletproof” that Taylor had steered us to earlier. He had tweeted that this was his favorite song and blows GaGa out of the water. The La Roux performance was stark, clean, and precise with metallic sounds and emotionless delivery “This time, Baby, I’ll be bulletproof.”
These two performances are different for sure. If La Roux does a cool stainless steel version of
“Bulletproof,” Taylor Hicks gave us one with a slight patina.
“Bulletproof” from the boys from Birmingham—Alabama, that is—made electro pop sound cool and musical—not electronic, but alive like metal gone green. They dragged their British pop through a bit of delta rock with real brass, resonating wood, and whiskey tenor vocals for a new Birmingham sound—England, that is.
Electro pop with a raspy edge.
It worked!
“Bulletproof” is Taylor Hicks gone pop. He never said he couldn’t do it.
He can play across the Pond any day!
For the music lovers filling tour venues to see the boys from Birmingham across the U.S. this summer, “Bulletproof” is a stunning surprise that brings new sounds and excitement to the stage—a setlist keeper!
~~~
“Bulletproof” and “Indiscriminate Act of Kindness” are musical opposites. Yet, my response to both was almost identical. I was blown away!
Taylor continues to grow in his own musicality. “Grease” and “Bulletproof” are proof of that. He is comfortable with who he is; he is a risk taker. He grows and evolves from those risks.
While Taylor makes every song his own by “taylorizing” it, I think “Bulletproof” actually goes the other direction. Taylor makes it uniquely his, yet he embraces the pop sound and takes his vocals and band in that direction for a breakout performance.
You might say he spreads his wings and flies a little left of the sun.
Therein lies the creativity of the true artist.
We are reminded again that there is nothing Taylor Hicks can’t do musically. He obviously believes that, and it has gotten him right where he wants to be—on the road, in a gigantic tour bus, making music with his friends, and entertaining people!
And taking risks.
“Bulletproof” by Taylor Hicks at Highline Ballroom, 7.25.10, posted by TaylorHicksNews.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgpP3y42PqY
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1 comment:
It seems that Taylor's "synthetic" sound has a deeper resonance than the LaRoux original .......I like it better. There is a "dance beat " that is common in the electro pop stagings and I like that as long as it doesn't get 'tinny' ......Taylor's "Bulletproof" did not.
The wonderful thing about song lyrics is that listeners can take the words and make them their own.... The meaning can be personalized as most lyrics usually are....... "Bulletproof" can be about building that protective shield around oneself, warding off any disappointment , not just in love.
"Bulletproof" was further proof that Taylor can dodge any bullet aimed at him.
cath
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