This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums which have formed the course of music and tradition.
5 years in the past, Alex Isley gave us a Tiny Desk (dwelling) live performance to recollect … and ever since, I’ve wished to carry her into the workplace for a correct shoot. To protect the whole lot in her vocal cords, the L.A. native remained silent till it was time to carry out, even pensive as she approached the Desk. Nonetheless, her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm for the second that she and her followers had anticipated for years.
DeShaun Allen, her long-time pal, crafts new preparations for this efficiency, honoring the unique recordings whereas including new flavors to favorites like “About Him” and “Love Once more.” Supporting vocalists Nelson Beato, Muhsinah and Astyn Terrentine are in lock step, complementing Isley’s comfortable, ethereal tone to a T, evoking a sense I have not felt since witnessing Daniel Caesar’s efficiency again in 2018. Considered one of our favourite Tiny Desk alums, Masego, pops up for his verse on “Good & Loads” to a roaring crowd. She opens with an outside-the-box upbeat banger, “Mic On,” with a wink to her father Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers, and closes with the highly effective “Thank You for a Pretty Time,” from her newest EP, WHEN.
SET LIST
- “Mic On”
- “Good & Loads”
- “La Brea”
- “Into Orbit”
- “Love Once more”
- “Mine”
- “About Him”
- “Arms”
- “Thank You for a Pretty Time”
MUSICIANS
- Alex Isley: vocals
- DeShaun Allen: drums, music director
- Jay Rojas: guitar
- Dré Pinckney: bass
- Darek Cobbs: keys
- Nelson Beato: background vocals
- Astyn Turr: background vocals
- Muhsinah: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producers: Bobby Carter, Ashley Pointer
- Director: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
- Video Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Videographers: Kara Body, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene
- Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
- Photographer: Michael Zamora
- Tiny Desk Workforce: Maia Stern, Lars Gotrich
- Government Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
