Live Review: Erykah Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote

You can't put a label on Erykah Badu. Sure, she's considered a legend of neo-soul but that almost takes away from the innovative way she uses hip hop or the vocal gymnastics that she loves playing around with in her live show. There are so many facets to Ms Badu, it was a privilege watching her pull them all together on stage.

Before that young Melbourne world beaters and Grammy nominees Hiatus Kaiyote threw '70s jazz, Afrobeat and a whole lot of styles into their melting point over their very tight set. Frontwoman Nai Palm wove her way around the songs with a graceful ease, though sometimes the mix didn't seem to quite show her voice off to full effect. When the band started to get more experimental in the second half of the set, though, things definitely got a whole lot more interesting.

Erykah Badu gave her band a chance to impress us first, letting them settle into a rich, strong groove before she added her charismatic presence. Always working the crowd, even in this odd, not-really-made-for-live-music venue, Badu really gave her stunning voice the full workout. Songs would morph from one thing into something else entirely, like the beginning of 20 Feet Tall, which gave the singer so much space before the band dropped in with this beautifully evocative and powerful rhythm.

I Want You was a dynamite little freaky dance number while Liberation, dedicated to Outkast and the whole Dungeon Family, was a reminder that hip hop is just as much a part of Badu's musical make-up as soul.

Badu mentioned several times that she's worked with her band for years, and it was obvious every time a song stretched out beyond it's recorded boundaries that there was a deep trust and enjoyment shared on stage.