It borders on silly to say that some voices in music hit just the right frequency — because that’s how sound works. I’m talking about the non-literal interpretation. There’s that feeling you get when you hear a voice for the first time, and you’re just kind of like, “Yeah, this is my thing.”
Lutalo Jones has one of those. Maybe it’s because not a ton of artists occupy that low, low register. Maybe it’s the smooth transitions from talk-singing to actual singing. Whatever it is, there’s something distinctly welcoming about their vocal instrument, which captivated a room of Radio Milwaukee members during a Friday afternoon session.
Performing as Lutalo, Jones lets their baritone carry the message of their music. In addition to sounding “like butter over the air” (something Dori Zori shared at the start of the mid-set interview), it encourages the listener to lean in just a little bit more and really absorb Jones’ songs about — as Craig Howieson of Clash Music put it — “the alienation and disillusionment of young life in America.”
A lot of effort goes into those songs, the latest collection of which Jones bundled under the title The Academy. Besides laying down the vocals, they tracked every instrument you hear on the album and put in the time an undertaking like that requires, with a deadline that could charitably be described as “demanding.”
“I had 10 days to record 14 songs and play every instrument,” Jones shared with us. “I knew I could do it. I’ve done it before. But to get enough meticulous takes in was a crunch. It was 13-hour days, 12-hour days each day. I powered through and tried to make it happen, and hopefully you guys enjoy it.”
The album got a warm reception when it debuted last September, and the enjoyment extended to this session featuring a trio of tracks from The Academy. Jones opened and closed the set in a head-bobbing groove with “The Bed” and “Big Brother,” sandwiching the selections around the more cacophonous “About (Hall of Egress).”
It was an assured first visit to Studio Milwaukee (with hopefully more to come) that you can listen to using the player at the top of the page. And if you’re interested in grabbing a seat in our performance space for the next session, head over to the membership page and check out all the options that’ll score you a guaranteed invite to every one of these performances.
Studio MKE: Lutalo set list
- “The Bed”
- “About (Hall of Egress)”
- “Big Brother”
