Sananda Maitreya Review – Ex Terence Trent Darby returns with an amazing voice | music

TThe 63-year-old American on stage tonight was one of the biggest stars in the sky at the end of the 1980s. At the time, his debut album Introducing Hardcore According to Terence Trent Darby went multi-platinum, he was viewed as the Fresh Prince and told the world he was a genius. However, Darby’s career declined after the brutal attack on his more experimental second album, and in 2001 he changed his name “to create a new identity that had not suffered the trauma of a ‘fall from grace’.” He is making his first UK tour in nearly a quarter of a century to a hero’s welcome. His dreadlocks are gone, but his glossy beard suits him and he retains his sinister smile. “I just went out to buy some cigarettes, but it took me 23 years,” he jokes.

Maitreya’s band The Sugar Plum Pharaohs provide funk music and high-range backing vocals. His voice, so briefly raspy, remains a stunning instrument, capable of raw, aching sweetness and power. The extended falsetto note at the end of Delicate receives its own spontaneous welcome. The academy is crowded and not full, but the singer feels loved. “That’s what clubs are for,” he shouts.

The set list, divided by time interval, spans decades and genres, from psychedelic funk to beautiful ballads. “Billy Don’t Fall,” a Motown-y gem from that ill-fated second album, is sung with sublime emotion. Quality control has always been Maitreya’s Achilles heel, and there were fluctuations – some mediocre players in the second half – but not many.

In the meantime, I wish you well and sign your name, looking back over the years. “Take It Beautifully Sad, Easy and Emotional, Stick to You” indicates that he never stopped writing great songs, even if fewer people heard them. “Get out of your rocking chair, Grandma!” he shouts, via the amazingly funky “Dance Little Sister” intro, which has the entire audience singing along. Surprisingly, he avoids the obvious audience killer in If You Let Me Stay, but maybe Maitreya wouldn’t have made things so easy on himself.