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Vibrant pop-soul with a funky twist 25.10.2009 Oceana @ Bassy Cowboy Club
Oceana has a lot going for her. She sings upbeat and danceable tunes, has strong sex appeal, a great sense of humor, a fun backup band, and, as I also discovered Sunday night, some pretty die-hard fans. The evening's set began with just the band on stage (consisting of drums, bass, keyboards, trumpet, and baritone saxophone/flute) playing a funky instrumental introduction. Walking through the crowd, Oceana eased up the stage to her microphone, faced her audience, and began to dance. When I say dance, I mean a full-fledged, funky, energetic, and well-coordinated whirl of every limb. After this vigorous display of movement, she began to sing in a smooth and soulful voice.
Oceana and the rest of the band continued to play the entire evening with the same liveliness and visible enjoyment. She bantered both with the musicians as well as with the audience, and told funny stories about past shows (from broken high heeled shoes in Paris to flashing a breast to the audience in Switzerland). Her stage presence was gripping, aided both her personality and lovely voice.
A number of musical influences were deeply entrenched in her songs; one minute she would be singing against island reggae beats, the next you could hear deep Motown roots, shortly after that she would pass into more modern R&B. A perfect example of the diversity of her influences came in the form of a medley of cover songs the group played in the middle of the set. Consisting of three songs, it started with "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, then "Keep on Dancing" by No Doubt, and Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby, One More Time." Although she included two modern songs classic blues and funk tinged each song with her own character. The flexibility of her musical style as well as the diversity of musicians supporting her made each song original and interesting.
While the music merged many styles, the groovy beat never left and the audience never stopped dancing. Speaking of dancing... Sometimes at a concert, the entertainment of the evening goes beyond those performing on stage. The audience can become key contributors to the mood of the evening and it is always fun to gauge their reaction to the music. It happens, quite wonderfully, that a few of Oceana's Berlin fans are also some very enthusiastic dancers. One man in particular was dancing as though invoked by spirits. He was almost as, if not more, entertaining than the band. He combined dance moves bordering on popping with ballet, funk, and what can only be called interpretive dance. Using both the railing of the stage and his own body as props, he gave a free-flowing, unabashed, and unforgettable performance.
This, I think, encapsulates what music and live concerts are really about. A perfectly balanced live show is one in which both the band and their audience can hardly contain their excitement about the music filling the hall.
-Written by Brit-Maren Schjeide
Setlist:
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