Show Review: Angel Olsen @ Red7 (2/25)

This show was completely unexpected.  I knew Angel Olsen had gotten some rave reviews, but I did not expect this show to sell out by any means.  Luckily, those who were interested in Ms. O also came out to catch the openers, including our local favorite, Jess Williamson.  Read on for our thoughts, and a few shots from our friend Daniel Cavazos.

We’ve champion Jess Williamson, including our rave of her recent release, Native State. That being said, I did not expect her band to have gelled so quickly while on the road.  Every piece finally seems to fit perfectly into place, providing all of her songs with an emphatic backing that illustrates care in every minute detail.  To top it off, Jess has a captivating voice.  It’s hard to pull yourself away from the trance it casts over the audience; judging by a completely silent audience during her set, everyone else agrees.

Cian Nugent had the unfortunate circumstance of being sandwiched in between to incredible female vocalists.  But, that being said, his largely solo outing at Red 7 was fairly successful.  At times, the quiet approach didn’t necessarily connect with me personally in the live setting, though I definitely feel it’s suited for a more intimate performance, where proximity to the stage allows for the connectivity between audience and performer; I got stuck by the bar!

Angel Olsen began the night on her own, as she should have.  It was the perfect introduction to her set, allowing her fragility to show upon the stage.  Once joined by her band mates, the added details rang out in the dark room.  A majority of the set was dedicated to her recent outing, Burn Your Fire for No Witness.  While the distorted guitars, there was one area that I really clamored for, and it’s something that sticks out on her record too.  Olsen has a phenomenal voice, one with a variety of inflections.  But, when the rest of the band shows up, her voice has a tendency to get covered up a bit; I wanted her to belt out some of those notes a bit more.  Still, her set was focused and illustrated to the many precisely why she’s gotten so much credit lately for her songwriting.  She closed the evening alone again, presenting herself once again to the audience in an empowering manner that sets a great tone for an oft male-dominated music world.