Heart and Soul of Al Qasr

Their genre is not what I typically patronize, but having since long read good reviews of Heart and Soul in particular, I popped into Koubba Bar in Madinat Jumeirah's Al Qasr hotel late on Thursday night to have a listen.

Shanice Michaels does indeed have a pleasant and versatile voice, and included a fair bit of improvisation to add some individuality to the songs she sang. She and Lorendo Brown mainly did covers of popular music to playback instrumentals and sharp guitar playing by Brown. I was not too fond of the dance pop covers (maybe downbeat them a little?), but the rest was a great musical journey through the pop hits, especially the ones from the late 20th century.

Art exhibition Gentle by Jonathan Gent at XVA

The Jonathan Gent painting exhibition, Gentle, is on display at the XVA Gallery (now contiguous with the XVA Art Hotel) until the end of next month. I dropped by the Bastakiya al Al Fahidi this weekend to have a look (and to watch a film that did not end up screening, but there was some good vegetarian food at the cafe to compensate).

The subject matter is drawn from the artist's experiences as a visitor in the region -- and especially in Dubai -- about 5 years ago. Those of us who live here will recognize much of the imagery depicted in his mental snapshots and  impressions from his exploration of the city. Some of these have been reduced to the barest elements, while some have been fleshed out in further detail and color (while yet retaining a minimal style).

The works have been painted on raw wood veneer, lending them a unique texture. This is especially evident in the more drawing-like ones; the lines on the boards are interrupted and pushed out by the wood grain over which they are painted.

Check it out!

Abri and the Funk Radius at Sublime

Saturday night saw the launch of a new weekly gig by Dubai-based music acts Hamdan Al Abri and The Funk Radius. The Funk Radius, consisting of jazz musicians Elie and Rony Afif together with rock musician Jay Wud, provided bass, drum and guitar support for soul singer Abri's vocal performance. A very interesting genre mix, Abri and the Funk Radius had performed together late last season, and I guess it worked out well, because they'll be doing it every Saturday night this season.

The launch took place in the "space baroque" Sublime Lounge at the Ibis hotel DWTC, conveniently located near the DWTC metro station. Substantial attendance could already be seen by 9pm, and the place filled up quickly during the first set and interval, with most staying on until the last set, near midnight.

The four performed three sets of funk, funk fusion, rock and reggae, including classics like "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a ) Sex Machine", and more recent hits like "Get Lucky" and "Crazy". They kept the energy going until the last song of the last set, eliciting enthusiastic responses from the crowd at the lounge, especially on their more widely recognizable numbers.