Jamie T @ Bowery Ballroom 9/13: I Heard it on a Mixtape

Jamie T is definitely a very likable person. He is also an exceedingly talented musician and writer but he has a problem, he cannot seem to meld the likeability and obvious brilliance into an exciting show. This is not to say that I didn't intensely enjoy seeing the young Londoner Thursday night, it was great fun, but from the start, it simply wasn't thrilling and when the very first thing I have to say about a show is that, you know you have a problem.

Nevertheless, seeing the person who put out one of my favourite albums of the year, Panic Prevention, was interesting and I would suggest to anybody to first go buy the album and then go see the show. The people in attendance whom could sing along were without a doubt having the most fun.

I attended the show with a friend and hip-hop connoisseur whose usual complaint about British rappers is their lack of flow. Her diagnosis is that the accent simply does not lend to an easy rhythm. Her theory isn't wrong. Take the ever talented and lauded Mike Skinner for instance, one of his most distinguishing characteristics is the halting manner in which he speaks. The jilted rapping is certainly not a bad thing, but it can't really be considered "flow." Jamie T however transcends this problem of the unpoetic wrong side of the tracks London accent. He creates songs that are small pieces of art with their honest youthful phrases that could have been pulled from a journal, sew together with deeper lines that relay the desire for far off places, wishful thoughts and the reality of a tough home life. And he does all of this with a great talent for flow that borders so close to singing that it made me wonder more than once during Thursday night's performance if Jamie T really be considered a rapper. It wasn't until towards the end of the show when Jamie seamlessly blended in a fan's interaction with a couple of bouncers in the middle of the gig so well that initially I thought it was part of the song that I realised that this young lad from London truly was an amazing mc.

America has a few more chances to see Jamie before he leaves for a quick tour of Australia next month:
Sep 18 2007 8:00P
Schubas Chicago, Illinois
Sep 19 2007 8:00P
7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sep 22 2007 8:00P
Crocodile Cafe Seattle, Washington
Sep 23 2007 8:00P
Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Sep 25 2007 8:00P
Slims San Francisco
Sep 26 2007 8:00P
Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Sep 30 2007 8:00P
The Zoo *Rescheduled date* Brisbane
Oct 2 2007 8:00P
The Bakery *Rescheduled date* Perth
Oct 3 2007 8:00P
HI-FI Bar *Rescheduled date* Melbourne
Oct 4 2007 8:00P
The Gov *Rescheduled date* Adelaide
Oct 5 2007 8:00P
Gaelic Club *Rescheduled date* Sydney





Go see what Chris over at Music Snobbery has to say.