Category: Taping Recap

Far more than just the latest British import, Emeli Sandé reiterated why she’s a rising star during her first Austin City Limits taping. The Scottish singer/songwriter has already conquered her native soil with a brace of hit singles and her debut album Our Version of Events. Given her strong songs, ability to connect immediately with a crowd and, of course, her fabulous voice, it quickly became clear why the States are swiftly falling under her spell.

Sitting at the piano after taking the stage, Sandé launched into one of her hits – the dramatic, bitter ballad “Daddy.” The song’s brooding tone was a bit of a feint, however – once she stood up and took her mic in hand, Sandé dispelled the clouds with a brace of upbeat anthems. “This song is all about good intentions,” she remarked by way of preface to her huge U.K. single “Heaven, “and I hope that you woke up with them this morning.” The gospel-tinged “Free” – another British hit, with electronic band Rudimental – and the quiet, piano-and-strings ballad “Clown” continued her themes of empowerment. A reggae beat wove through the romantic “Where I Sleep,” which also became the first song to include call and response with the crowd. Indeed, audience participation is clearly a must for Sandé – she engaged the house to clap along with “Breaking the Law” and made the people her backing choir on the defiant declaration “My Kind of Love.” Only the sparse heartbreak ballad “Suitcase” – performed almost solely by Sandé and her bass player – contrasted with her messages of honesty, inclusion and a positive attitude. It was a contrast the audience obviously didn’t mind, given the enthusiastic reception it gave the song.

Sandé closed the main set with her biggest anthems yet, all originally collaborations. A number one U.K. hit with British producer/rapper Professor Green, “Read All About It” started as a piano ballad, before the rest of the instruments crashed in to make it a real lighter-waver. She closed with her two collaborations with producer Naughty Boy: the new single “Lifted,” which folded in elements of electrobeat dance and segued directly into the British top 10er “Wonder,” which rode an Afrobeat groove and the chorus “We are full of wonder” into the biggest call-and-response with the audience yet. By the end of the performance, the crowd had joined Sandé and her band in making the “W” sign with their hands – a true sign of her ability to remind us that we’re all in this world together.

Of course, it wasn’t truly over – Sandé and her band came back to encore “Next to Me,” her platinum Stateside single that had the audience on their feet and in the palm of her hand before it was halfway over. It was a stunning end to a stunning set. We’re eager for everybody to see it when this episode airs in the fall. Stay tuned.

Mexico City duo Jesse & Joy is only now starting to break in the U.S., but for their debut ACL taping the sibling singer/songwriters performed their healthy catalog of international hits for a studio audience that knew them well.

After cheekily introing themselves with a recording of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” the pair and their band launched into the reggae-influenced pop of “Aqui Voy,” horns and harmonies flying. “Espacio Sideral” followed, a straightforward pop rocker that was the first, but definitely not the last, tune to have the audience sing part of the chorus unaccompanied. That song set the tone for the rest of the show, as Jesse & Joy rolled out a series of crowd-pleasing anthems and upbeat pop songs. “Me Voy,” “¿Con Quien Se Queda El Perro?” and “Esto Es Lo Que Soy” (complete with Jesse’s Big Rock Jump at the end) ratcheted the excitement up into the red, while the ballads “Me Quiero Enamorar” (“This next song is for anyone who’s in love, or wants to be,” remarked Jesse) and especially “La De La Mala Suerte” effortlessly swelled hearts.

Jesse & Joy left the stage after the rousing single “Llorar,” a duet between the two siblings. That wasn’t the end, however. The demands of the crowd for more brought the band back for three final anthems: “Chocolate,” “Ya No Quiero” and, fueled by call-and-response between Joy and the audience, the huge hit “¡Corre!” After tossing out a stuffed dog wearing an autographed T-shirt to a lucky patron and having their picture taken in front of the crowd, Jesse & Joy and band exited for the final time to the strains of the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark. If that seems self-aggrandizing, given the excitement level of their fans following this show, we’d say they earned it.

Jesse & Joy may not be as well-known in the States as they are in the rest of the world, but we guarantee that will change when this episode airs in the fall – don’t miss it!

“It’s great to be back at the world’s greatest and longest-running music show,” enthused Emmylou Harris tonight during her latest ACL taping. To say that she and Rodney Crowell aren’t strangers to our stage seems inadequate. Both Texas native Crowell and his current partner and former employer Harris have been on seven times apiece. The pair even shared an episode in 1983, though they didn’t share the stage. Tonight, however, these two old friends celebrated their shared history, their new collaborative album Old Yellow Moon and the continuing power of the song.

The pair opened with “Return of the Grievous Angel,” from Emmylou’s time with her mentor Gram Parsons. The GP connection continued with “Wheels,” a Flying Burrito Brothers-era Parsons tune Emmylou recorded on Elite Hotel, her first major label album and the beginning of her reign over the country music charts. That began the roll of hits, as the pair essayed “Pancho & Lefty,” ‘Til I Gain Control Again,” “I’ll Be Your San Antone Rose” (dedicated to its author, the late Susannah Clark) and “Luxury Liner,” another GP tune set aflame by lead guitarist Jedd Hughes’ turbo-powered chicken-pickin’. The duo fast-forwarded to a more recent era for “Red Dirt Girl” (from Harris’ LP of the same name) and “Rock of My Soul” (from Crowell’s career revitalization The Houston Kid), their voices wrapped the songs in the kind of harmonies only two old friends can generate.

An Old Yellow Moon rose for the next segment of the show, as the pair drew heavily from that LP. The pleasure these two old pals obviously took from singing some of their favorite songs – from Roger Miller’s honky-tonkin’ “Invitation to the Blues” and Matraca Berg’s melancholy “Back When We Were Beautiful” to Allen Reynolds’ elegant “Dreaming My Dreams” and Kris Kristofferson’s cautionary but rocking “Chase the Feeling” – was palpable. Then it was back to the hits, as the pair broke out Emmylou’s lovely take on Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You,” blazed through Crowell’s “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” (recorded by both of them at different points) and ended with the peaceful waltz of “Old Yellow Moon.”

Of course, the show wasn’t over. The duo and band returned, Harris and special guest Shawn Colvin dancing their way through Crowell’s “Stars On the Water.” The musicians rocked a blazing “I Ain’t Livin’ Long Like This,” a song not on the original setlist but an addition that drove the crowd wild. After a visit from Harris’ rescue dogs (brought onstage in tribute to Austin’s status as a no-kill city), the pair ended with “Tulsa Queen,” a co-write from Harris’ classic LP Luxury Liner that was a most appropriate way to end this tandem performance.

It was a magnificent show that reminded us that veterans get to that point for good reason. We’re eager for everybody to see it when it broadcasts on PBS in the fall – stay tuned.

From a number four album in his native U.K. to an opening slot on Mumford & Sons’ U.S. tour, Michael Kiwanuka has already quite a career arc. Now the 26-year-old singer/songwriter can add his first ACL taping to his resumé. “This is a real honor to do this show, to play Austin and do Austin City Limits,” he said at the top of the show, “So we’re gonna have as good a time as we can.”

Kiwanuka and his three-piece band opened with a new song, a breeze of 70s-style folky soul called “If You’d Dare.” From there he launched into the dazzling “Tell Me a Tale,” the groovy opening track of his debut album Home Again. Kiwanuka then went for a mellower vibe, essaying the countryish folk of “Always Waiting” and the Bill Withers-like “Worry Walks Beside Me,” the sweet folk pop of “I’m Getting Ready” and the mellow balladry of “Rest.” He shone a light on one of his other influences, Jimi Hendrix, with a perfect take on the pioneering guitarist’s pretty “May This Be Love.” Kiwanuka also stripped down to just himself and his guitar for the Tin Pan Alley pop of “Any Day Will Do Fine,” the brand new anthem-in-waiting “Running Through the Alleys” and the brooding darkness of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting ‘Round to Die.”

After bringing in the black clouds of Van Zandt, Kiwanuka brought the band back on for his radio hit “Home Again,” a jazzy pop tune that’s almost a lullaby. The quartet brought the house down with the funky pop/soul grooves of “I’ll Get Along,” waving to a crowd that definitely wanted more. Kiwanuka gave it to them, though not in the way he originally intended. Though the plan was for he and bassist Pete Randall to play the single “Lasan,” a call for “Bones” by an enthusiastic crowd member found Kiwanuka calling guitarist Miles James and drummer Graham Godfrey back onstage to acquiesce. The upbeat, jazzy groove ended up being the perfect way to end the evening.

Michael Kiwanuka made a striking debut on our stage. Tune in this fall to see the greatness for yourselves.