Nashville – There’s a high demand for good, live R&B in this music-rich city, but unfortunately, it’s met with limited supply. Enter Mocha: possibly the youngest, funkiest, and most energetic R&B group to hit the Music City scene in a long while. Led by enigmatic vocalist Sakari Greenwell, Mocha is an eight-member ensemble complete with all the necessary keyboards and horn section. They also combine notes of funk, jazz, and even a hint of disco to create an absolutely glistening display of Neo-Soul that hits the spot every time. Although they’re relatively new around here, one would never know after watching them perform, because they exhibit mastery both on stage and on the floor with the crowd that even seasoned performers fail to grasp.
The End, one of Nashville’s most beloved live venues, welcomed Mocha and their cadre of loyal fans late this past Sunday night. The small concert hall was packed with young spectators ditching studying for final exams to watch a few of their own perform live. If any of those students catching Mocha’s show was asked if it was worth putting off long hours of studying, the answer would be a resounding “definitely.” Mocha is just that kind of group and, yes, their shows are just that special. By calling on the audience to respond and sing along, this band goes to great lengths to make each show original and interactive.
Most impressive, however, was the band’s genius cover of Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams.” Only Mocha could make this originally upbeat, sugary song sound as sensual, as soulful as a ‘70s R&B jam. Starting the number out slow and smooth, it took the audience a good second to figure out exactly what the band was trying to do. Once Sakari reached the chorus, however, the crowd erupted with cheers and whistles. Mocha have a lovely way of keying in to how the audience is feeling and they know precisely what to perform, and when.
Though the pace was varied on Sunday night, nothing sounded jumbled or even out of place. Flowing effortlessly from song to song, Mocha always knew when to speed things up and slow things down for the crowd. The fifth song of the seven-song set, “Feel Something,” garnered the most attention and shouts from everyone in the audience, but the band already knew that was going to happen. Adam Kirincich on the keyboard and Ray Standiford on the drums launched into this crowd favorite even before Sakari asked those of us listening to sing along. Her tone indicated that she felt silly asking us to participate because she knew, without a doubt, that all of us were going to belt out the song, anyway. “You know this song,” she laughed.
Mocha is a total time warp in the best way, taking us back to decades past and to the glory days of soul. However, while they pay homage to a variety of influences such as Marvin Gaye and Prince, they also add a touch of their youthful spirit to the mix, making their deceptively familiar compositions entirely original. Proving that R&B will never die, Mocha is able to make dusty oldies sound fresh, which is a welcome addition to the sometimes-redundant sounds coming from Nashville.
Mocha is winding down for the remainder of 2014, but you can find out where they’ll be performing next via the band’s Facebook.
Photo by Acacia Evans
Amaryllis Lyle
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