Back To The Future

Tuesday night, I was at Grace O'Malley's in the Entertainment District. If this Irish pub was an odd choice for Tanika Charles' soul music, tonight's sponsor was Grolsch beer. Though the stage area was small, it was packed with her friends and family. They were treated to a high-energy set of songs from her sophomore album The Gumption (Remember To Remember, Love Overdue) as well as older material (Soul Run, Parkdale). On the new album, Charles continued to mine that 60s soul vibe but updated for today. She brought a cheerful, vibrant personality to the stage and didn't need much encouragement to get the crowd to sing, dance, and clap along. Other patrons of the venue, seated in booths, were at first nonplussed. But they quickly came around to Charles' feel-good set. She seemed genuinely touched at the urging of the audience for an encore. Unlike most shows where these songs are planned ahead, Charles and the new version of The Wonderfuls had to search for numbers that they had practiced at least somewhat for. She shrugged and said "Well, if this works" but she needn't have worried, Upside Down and Silly Happy Wild were great bonuses to a fun evening.