BLOOD ORANGE SQUEEZED SOME SWEET JUICE AT SUMMERSTAGE

Devonte Hynes – AKA Blood Orange, Moses Sumney, and Sean Nicholas Savage brought another eclectic night of music to Summerstage near the end of a great season in the park.

Sean Nicholas Savage started the evening off with some swaying and poetic Indie music. The Canadian singer/songwriter has been likened to Mac DeMarco but I found his style unique and very chill as his newest video demonstrates best. His relaxed set lasted a half hour and was a nice warm-up to the following acts.

Following up after a short break, Moses Sumney confidently took the to mic’s and with his DIY style had most transfixed with the layers he added to his soul/folk numbers using an array of samplers and microphones. Moses created lush soundscapes with a unique technique of using three microphones while singing, clapping and with the addition to vocal clicks and pops, sets an almost tribal groove with many of his tunes as seen in the video for “Everlasting Sigh“. Moses’s set was received well by the near capacity crowd and fit beautifully with what was to come.

Before Devonté Hynes even set foot on stage, the energy was palpable and taking one look at the sold out crowd, knew this would be a special night. Usually when you say “free” in this great city, people of all ages will flock to get their treat and this was no exception as the the crowd inside and out of Summerstage came in large colorful numbers to see one of the hottest acts in music.

Blood Orange is a powerful hybrid of a machine that fuses soul, funk, pop, indie and rock to blast your senses with an onslaught of righteousness. At one moment he reminded me of a young Prince; shredding effortlessly on his fender while easily hitting the high notes with flair and conviction during Sutphin Boulevard. His banter in between songs gave us a look at the long struggle of writing all these tunes in his bedroom and showed an obvious affection to the huge crowd pronouncing; “Playing in Central Park is a dream, thanks for helping me make it come true”. No, thank you, Devonté, you truly are a star!

Article by: Shayne Hanley