The First Coming

When we got to the new Space Theatre (really felt like the Promised Land after marching through the city) and I saw wires, flashing things and computers on stage, emulating a Jedi operation, I suspected that maybe some interesting things were going to befall my ears.

The initials do allude to some greatness: Johnny Cradle turned this baby into a believer. He sounds like he smoked 3 packs of cigarettes during a bad spell of laryngitis. It’s that big-daddy sultry, husky you-know-what-is-about-to-happen kind of voice. This guy has an awesomely unique voice that he has perfectly matched to his sound. Apart from having a fabulous voice—singing on key and doing all that stuff that warrants somebody being called a good singer and not just a performer—he does a lot of experimenting with his pipes. He does this fast talking semi-singing Bone Thugs thing that will rock your audio palate.

I don’t know enough about music to place him anywhere, and even if I did I would come up short.  So I’ll make up his genre: futuristicy duby neo soul. There, I did it JC—I just put you in a league of your own. When they ask you what you do tell them “futuristicy duby neo soul”.

JC’s lyricism is phenomenal.  A kid that sits down and writes songs with feeling and meaning is rare on our musical landscape. In all this noise of Ooh yea baby, let me touch you shorty, JC will stand out beyond his delivery and will become a songwriter to be reckoned with.

My most memorable lines from his set are, “Whether you’re rich or poor homeboy/homegirl life really turns out hard, blah blah blah live your life. Life is hard, it’s tough.” Thank you JC for reminding me that Paris Hilton sitting at the back of her Phantom has the same problems as I do.

Johnny comes alive on that stage: he blazes on the keyboards and he would do this thing by looking back at his computers like there was somebody there, and the computers would do their backing thing, like an invisible band. It was a trip. I can’t wait to see him with a live band.

O Johnny, you did your thing hon’, you rocked my cradle for sure.