Curtis Harding (Photo courtesy ANTI- Records)
(Editor’s Note: This show is being postponed due to concerns related to COVID-19. Stay tuned for a new date!)
Atlanta psychedelic soul artist Curtis Harding recently released his new album If Words Were Flowers via ANTI- Records. On the heels of that release, Curtis performs at Black Cat on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
Written and recorded over the past two tumultuous years, If Words Were Flowers is a vibrant, intoxicating bouquet, one as diverse as it is dazzling. Drawing on vintage soul, R&B, hip-hop, garage rock, and psychedelia, the songs here are raw and gritty, fueled by airtight grooves, punchy horns, and adventurous production from Harding and frequent collaborator Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Benjamin Booker).
“Nina Simone said that it’s an artist’s job to reflect the times,” Curtis said. “I think it’s important to live in the moment. If you do that and you’re honest and vulnerable, you can reach the people that need to be reached.”
Watch Curtis Harding perform for KEXP at Home on YouTube with a setlist including “Hopeful,” “Can’t Hide It,” “With You,” “Explore,” an “I Won’t Let You Down”:
Harding broke out Stateside with in 2017 with his previous album Face Your Fear. Helmed by Cohen and super producer Danger Mouse, the record earned Curtis dates with everyone from Jack White to Lenny Kravitz, landed him festival slots at Newport Folk, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits, and racked up nearly 60 million streams on Spotify alone.
NPR declared the record one of the year’s best R&B releases, calling Harding a “gifted, gospel-bred shouter and deep digger in the Curtis Mayfield/Stevie Wonder crates,” while Complex hailed the music as “vintage, classic soul music” with “psychedelic splashes and a touch of garage rock fuzz,” and New York Magazine raved that “with a scorching voice like his, the funk is eternal.”
Curtis Harding
W/ Joshy Soul
Black Cat
Wednesday, Jan. 19
Doors @ 7:30pm
$20
All ages