Yael Naim @ Bowery Ballroom, March 19, 2008
Due to poor planning, I ended up getting to the show embarrassingly late. Which sucked, because what I saw was really good, and I wish I could have seen more of it.
But I did catch "New Soul." Twice. The MacBook Air star played the song as part of her regular set, leading a spirited sing-along, and again during her encore. My guess is that she just plain ran out of songs; she apparently played for more than an hour.
I still maintain that the song is only as good as it is because of her adorable accent, but fact is, it's a charming song. As is she a charming young woman. Her delivery and interaction with the crowd was nothing but gracious.
And, she has other songs! Which are just as good, if not more. Her sound, as you might expect from her background (Israeli ex-pat living in Paris), is cosmopolitan with a dash of Mediterranean spice. There was one song where she rhymed between French and English to cute comedic effect.
I wish I had more for you, but I was late and didn't take notes. But it was a good show. Don't get turned off by the hype.
eh.www.amNY.com
