SVSX gets a dose of jazz, R&B and more at The Mmoon on Saturday with performances by Veronica Malki and The Line-Up.
Veronica Malki
7:30PM, The Mmoon
Veronica Malki joined local singer/songwriter Ben Henderson for First Fridays this past August, doubling up his already soulful vocals with her equally passionate harmonies. Besides being skilled at singing together, she and Henderson have a lot in common. Both are technically folk-singer/songwriters, yet they both continuously float around the genre, playing anything but—mixing soul, jazz and rock elements.
Malki’s arrangements, though minimalist, have subtle traces of Latin music and a slight jazz swing. She strums dark, somber chords, reminiscent of Neko Case or Lucinda Williams and picks those sad, lonely notes of mournful, heartbroken Americana. Yet she doesn’t linger in the macabre for very long. Her songs evoke images of love, nature, bicycle rides and meditating on the beach as the sun sets. Even when she’s expressing her most painful sentiments, it is always entwined with beauty that is all around here—even the beauty of pain itself. Her greatest gift is her voice. She has a searing, powerful tenor range that cuts right through everything else with her directness and strength, yet there is a sense of compassion and gentleness to it.
HERE.
.SVSX Preview: Veronica Malki and The Line-Up
