“Are you ready to see” Valerie June asks in her song Endless Tree off her new album, Owls, Omens & Oracles. Truth be told, no; no, I was not ready. Valerie recently graced the stage at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Maryland, and basically set the room on fire.
On April 18, the show opened with a beautiful set from Ugandan singer/songwriter Jon Muq. I was a beautiful set filled with as many stories as songs. You can read the review of it here, in an earlier Parklife DC post.
When it was time, Valerie drifted on stage like a cosmic ballerina in a red dress made from Dorothy’s ruby red slippers. She’s graceful but from a different dimension. She knows that and has made it her job to pull us all into her beautiful world. If you haven’t heard Valerie’s music, check out her latest single from Owls, Omens & Oracles, “Joy, Joy!”
Watch the official music video for “Joy, Joy!” by Valerie June on YouTube:
Like any good guide, Valerie didn’t start us off at 100 mph. She eased us all into a state of comfort with her opener, All I Really Want To Do. The song hearkens back to ’60s soul. Her voice falls somewhere between Etta James, Hope Sandoval, and Delores O’Riordan, but on the West Tennessee side of things.
A few songs in, Valerie pushes the pedal down with Joy, Joy! and takes everyone with her to her happy place. Between songs she’s telling stories; sometimes to the audience and sometimes maybe to herself; but always with a smile on her face.
Her band is top notch and keeps everything going at the right pace; kinda like they know what they’re doing! Which, of course they do. And it looks like they’re all having as much fun taking us on this trip as we are, accompanying them.
Between each song, Valerie talks about a wide variety of topics: her dreads and how people always ask her about them, why she always wears sparkly things (including some items we couldn’t see), how she writes songs, and a lot of other topics.
The show was a ride.She played a lot of songs from the new album. But she also threw in older tracks like my personal favorite, “Astral Plane.” She also played a few covers like Lightin’ Hopkins’ “Life I Used To Live” and Freddie Hart’s “Drink Up And Go Home.” That was a part of the encore. But first, she came out and asked if she could read a poem she had written. We all gave her permission (she had been a gracious guide over the course of the previous 90 minutes, so…) and she read from one of her books.
Valerie wrapped up the show with “Workin’ Woman Blues” and said goodbye. We all took a minute, shook the glitter from our eyes, and re-entered the atmosphere. Valerie waited patiently outside the room to see us all disembark, speaking with those lucky enough to notice her off to the side. I was one of those lucky ones. She’s just as charming off stage as she is on. Definitely go see Valerie June if you want to take a trip to another, happier dimension for an hour and a half.
Setlist
- All I Really Want To Do
- Someone To Love
- Joy, Joy!
- Endless Tree
- Inside Me
- Trust The Path
- I Am In Love
- If And
- Life I Used To Live (Lightin’ Hopkins)
- Shakedown
- Stardust Scattering
- Astral Plane
- If You Love And Let Go
- Changed
- Love Me Any Old Way
- Encore
- Poetry Reading
- Drink Up And Go Home (Freddie Hart)
- Working Woman Blues
Here are some photos of Valerie June performing live at Rams Head on Stage on April 18, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.
