Ghostpoet, Bristol Marble Factory, gig review: Critically acclaimed rapper distils myriad influences into captivating performance
Relaxed vocal delivery belies power of songs
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Your support makes all the difference.Ghostpoet's latest album may share a Mercury nomination with his 2011 debut but, musically, his more recent work operates in an entirely new realm. What was once all minimalist electronica is now alt-rock melancholia.
It's the sort of aural leap that could spell problems when it comes to live performances. But Ghostpoet – the stage name adopted by rapper Obaro Ejimiwe – brings a cohesiveness to the expansive set list with his engagingly languid vocals, which feel as comfortable when backed by the sparse beats of 'Us Against Whatever Ever' as they do by the snaking guitar of 'The Pleasure in Pleather'.
Still, it's his more recent output that lingers. 'Be Right Back, Moving House', with its insistent single-note riff, veers from utter melancholy to an ultimately uplifting refrain, while the trip-hop-infused 'That Ring Down the Drain Kind of Feeling' is brought to life thanks to the powerful female backing vocals of the keyboard player, which counterbalance Ejimiwe's almost spoken word delivery.
With his thick-rimmed spectacles, enthusiastic gesticulating and charming banter ("I went to do some blacksmithing today for the first time," he says at one point), Ejimiwe cuts a striking figure. Yet it's the power of his songs that stays with you.
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