Justin Nozuka – 06th April 2014 (Melkweg – Amsterdam)

Canadian singer Justin Nozuka arrived to Rabozaal room at Melkweg in Amsterdam as the first stop of the European tour for who will be his third studio album, "Ulysses",  which will be released early next week under Coalition Records, same label already took care of their successful work "Holly" and especially "You I Wind Land and Sea" , with which he reached worldwide recognition.

Facing a predominantly female audience (more than 80 % of the room was occupied by women), the singer interjected new songs from his new job with some of his better known songs as "Save Him" or "Hearthless". It is true that the voice of the Japanese descent singer is sweet and grabs you from beginning to end, in the same way that conscious lyrics help you to empathize with him, but it is also true that its proposal on the Dutch stage turned flat and at some times, even bored. Accompanied by a trio of bass, guitar and drums in which only the lastter was mainly, the feeling that was transmitted was, in most songs, with the mere presence of the singer's own guitar would be enough.

With a style that remeber Jack Johnson, Ben Harper or even the most successful recently Paolo Nutini and John Mayer, at future dates of his newly started touring perhaps he should risk a little and not be so straightjacket for a perfect performance and exactly equal to that of the cd. Facing lack of improvisation, it will be solved giving more emphasis on guitar or talking a little more with the public, making they a little more imply in the show, due to despite the initial shock that seemed to awaken in his fans in the opening seconds of each song, from the outside surprised how less public sung or chanted during the song , as if an invisible fear of breaking the intimate atmosphere seize the crow. Only those times when the emotion seemed to overflow, as to the interpretation of his big hit "After Tonight" or Sade's cover "By Your Side" broke the monotony prevailing in the small room offering samples of a perfect show. So, bittersweet experience in a concert that was excellent in execution by Justin Nozuka, but where we missed that bit that makes a gig different, that feeling of be living an unique and unrepeatable moment more beyond a great sound featured like a cd.