Tarrey Torae new recording a preview by Julia W. Rath

[rating=4]It’s Valentine’s Day weekend and bitter cold in Chicago. What a treat to spend the night before the holiday by listening to love songs from the comfort of one’s home! “Catching Feelings” was a brilliant live concert performance by Tarrey Torae, who sang selections from her upcoming album of the same name. Throughout the evening, she celebrated the spirit of love in all its forms with songs that are a combination of R&B, country, blues, and pop. The title of her album implies that her music is a counterpart to that of her loving partner J. Ivy and the recent release of his own album “Catching Dreams”, previously featured by the Chicago Artists Workshop (a/k/a CAW) and Eighth Blackbird two months ago. Now Torae has returned to the same venue with songs that are her own.

Sitting in a plexiglass booth, Torae, sang in a sultry gospel voice, usually accompanied by Lisa Kaplan on piano and Matthew Duvall on percussion (mostly drums and xylophone). The songs consisted of “So Beautiful”, “Take Me Home”, “In Time/Hold On (with J. Ivy)”, “Make Music”, “I Still Will Love You/Moon Cry (w. J. Ivy)”, and “I Love You.” In one song, a recorded track was added with additional instrumentation, and it seemed as if Torae sang with herself as well as with the background singers. There were moments when special guest Ivy joined her on set; he never overshadowed her but, rather, enhanced her musicianship. For example, he danced to one of her songs, sang backup in another, and amplified her lyrics with his own brand of rap poetry.

Torae later explains during an interview with Kaplan that she was “buried in music as I grew up… with [various] genres pouring into my spirit.” A graduate of Curie Metropolitan High School, in Chicago, she majored in theatre and minored in dance. She took choir in school but didn’t realize until later that she had a talent for singing.

The online visuals were very good, as several cameras cycled during the show. There was, however, a minor issue with the mix in one of the songs. Most significantly, Torae’s earpiece (in her right ear) appeared to have some problem. She kept fiddling with it throughout, and whatever issue she had only seemed to get worse as time went on. She seemed distressed by it.

It is clear that Ivy has been her inspiration. The audience can clearly witness the respect and admiration which these two extremely talented performers have for each other both as professionals and loving partners. Their affection is palpable and delightful to watch. For example, some of the lyrics to the opening number “So Beautiful” go like this:

“The power of your beauty is the world’s greatest gift.
The grace in your heart has the power to uplift.
The texture of your soul is reflected in your ways.
The depth of your nature never ceases to amaze.”

He later responds in “I Still Will Love You”, “I can hear the melody of her heart.”

The very last song on the program, “I Love You” was again about Torae’s deep and abiding affection for Ivy, and as she stated during the Q&A near the end of the show, “He gives me the opportunity to feel loving.”

As an entirety, the show was gorgeous! Torae’s extraordinary voice complimented her well-crafted music and lyrics, which were so appropriate for Valentine’s Day! She is an amazing performer in her own right, and it was a joy to be in the remote audience.

Tarrey Torae in concert was sponsored by the Chicago Artist’s Workshop (CAW) and produced by Eighth Blackbird. This live streamed ticketed event also featured limited in-person seating at their production facility at 4045 N. Rockwell Street, Chicago.

Suggested price per household is $20, but options include choosing a price as well as contributing as a supporter.

For more information on this show and others in the series, please visit https://www.eighthblackbird.org/. Please go to the donate section on their website if you would like to support of their mission of promoting Chicago’s performing artists.

You can also follow them on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/eighthblackbird/.