English soul-revivalist VV Brown will play the Loft at UCSD on May 10.
Since VV Brown is basically on the fast track to stardom, this show is not to be missed. With a voice that stands tall among her influences -- Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a couple -- Ms. Brown won't be playing Loft-size venues for very long.
Brown was just 18 when she arrived in Los Angeles to start her career, and she hoped for a storybook life in a Hollywood paved with gold. Things didn't quite work out as planned. Brown's latest album, Travelling Like the Light -- which she wrote herself, unlike many up-and-coming pop singer/songwriters -- centers around her time in L.A. and her betrayal by the man she loved.
A different VV Brown emerged from the breakup, and now she's a stronger woman with a story to tell. Pop & Hiss, the venerable Los Angeles Times music blog, called Brown one of South By Southwest's best stage presences: "Brown proceeded to rip through decades and styles, borrowing equally from girl groups and hip-hop." The newspaper also called Brown one of its artists to watch last year, saying that she's "a long way removed from the smoky nightclub vibe of Amy Winehouse or the torch songs of Duffy."
If you're interested in getting a sense of what VV Brown's show will be like, check out this April 28 live performance and interview with NPR's World Cafe. The songs she performs range in style from rockabilly to R&B, and it's a great taste of what should be in store for you when you go to the Loft on the 10th.
Tickets are going fast; get 'em here to reserve your spot in the audience.
T. Loper is a writer for the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.
