Valerie June is as vivacious and compelling as her music. That much was evident during Wednesday night’s set at Park West. During the show, which lasted a little under 90 minutes, June performed a medley of old and new tunes that traversed the wide scope of her musical talents. From sing-songy gospel to guttural roots rock to lovelorn Americana, June blended the sonic diversity of her career for a show that demonstrated how singularly talented she is.
June took to the stage with her band wearing a red sparkly dress with glitter on her cheeks and a flower in her hair. They launched into a number of tracks from her latest record, “Owls, Omens and Oracles,” beginning with a haunting performance of “Calling My Spirit,” a short yet grounding tune about staying positive and steady while traveling down unknown paths.
Her next track, “All I Really Wanna Do,” is a sweet and wholesome number with a straightforward doo-wop melody. In concert, June has stripped down some of the perfect instrumentation from the record for a more straightforward tune. Regardless, it’s a perfect complement to her voice, which always had an ethereal quality to it that is even more pronounced and evocative live.
Peppered throughout her playing were a number of anecdotes and reflections about topics as varied as spirits, ancestors, and politics. Before jumping into one of her recent singles, “Joy Joy!,” June talked about the dichotomy of finding joy during especially hard times like now. And while she’s “real AF,” she is still able to acknowledge all of the emotions one may feel in the present. “While there’s sadness, hold space for joy at the same time,” she said before playing the tune. Uplifting and soulful, “Joy Joy!” is rooted in the obscure soul-driven grooves of the ’60s, without sounding like an imitation. Her voice jumps between sweet or winsome and guttural during the choruses, a signature performance style that has made June such a star among her peers.
Her performance of “Endless Tree” made the audience gently bounce around the room. The track is an uplifting triumph channeling the complicated, painful and troubling times we live in, while also motivating the listener as much as it delights with its fantastic musicality. Epic, bright and cinematic, the song’s spirit — fueled by June’s performance — lingered in the room long after it ended.
Yet her concert was not just about the more lively songs. She let her hair down on “I Am in Love.” The track sounds more indebted to the Americana of her long career, but there’s a brooding element that floats above the song, despite the title. Hidden in the depths of the lyrics are June’s signature moments of pause, like when she says, “I love you. What does it mean? Is it just words or something I do?”
She also took quiet time to focus on her older tracks, songs like the timeless “Astral Plane” off of 2017’s “The Order of Time” and “Somebody to Love,” the vulnerable second track from her debut record, “Pushin’ Against a Stone.” On the latter, June was simple in her performance, putting down her electric guitar to pick up a small banjo before the band roared to life in the latter half of the track. There is a humbleness and playfulness in her live performances.
A Valerie June show is as much about hearing the music you enjoy and the surprises June provides. And the surprises continued throughout the evening, with the notes and melodies both weaving through the songs and seemingly through June herself. She’s a performer, yes, but she’s also someone who seems to channel something deeper and more rooted in the past, present and future simultaneously.
It is captivating to watch. June seems almost consumed by the intricate breadth of her tracks, which incorporate elements of blues, jazz, soul, rock and Americana. She’s weaving together a tapestry of history, connecting genres between seemingly disparate scenes and communities. This new evolution of June is hard to categorize and undoubtedly fun.
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
