Jaakko Eino Kalevi live review
Jaakko Eino Kalevi begins tonight’s show without fanfare; he simply ambles on, pushes a button and the bulk of Say purrs away, setting the pattern for his entire performance: Kalevi sings, and tinkles synth lines over the top of a pre-recorded backing track, while a drummer and baritone sax player add the meat of the rhythm section. And it sounds great – yearning, post-Balearic dubby disco that’s as transporting as it is uplifting – but, all the same, it’s difficult to escape the uncanny feeling of the set being on rails: the trio of real musicians on stage are in hock to the ready-meal ones on the hard drive. The night’s biggest cheer comes after a hugely expressive sax solo cuts through Kalevi’s pulsating groove on Flexible Heart – it’s a vocal vote for the real over the synthetic.
