In person and on disc, Kevin So delivers songs that are by turns riotous, tender, and red hot, and he does it with humor and a sweet sincerity. . . . [His CD “Individual”] works on every level — memorable songs, striking vocals, and outstanding instrumentation. Kevin hits every mood on “Individual” — there’s haunting acoustic ballads, hard-hitting blues and pop, and joyous travelling music. But it’s not just the great music I love about this album — Kevin So’s love of people shines through everything he does.
JAN BRICK, WERS Boston
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EVIN S
O’S ORIGINAL BLEND of pop, folk, delta blues, and a touch of R&B and jazz has brought him praise from Billy Bragg, Martin Sexton, Richie Havens, and Keb’ Mo’ (to name a few). Nominated for seven Boston Music Awards, “That Oriental Guy” (to quote his CD title) is one of the most compelling, boundary-stretching singer-songwriters to emerge from the Boston music scene in a long time.
Born and bred in greater Boston, So captivates audiences everywhere. He recently released his seventh CD, “Shirts & Skinz,” and is hard at work on a double album that he describes as “my Asian American Songs in the Key of Rice. . . my ‘Kwandrophenia’.” His songs examine personal identity, sexuality, history, family and racism.
When not opening shows for people like Joe Cocker, Randy Newman, Ellis Paul, and Dar Williams, Kevin has donated his talents to fundraising benefits for organizations such as the The New England Home for Little Wanderers, the American Heart Association, Anytown New England, and the Judge Baker Children’s Center. Currently he is arranging tours in California, Europe, and his ancestral homeland of China.
Michael Jullian opens the show. A North Shore resident, Jullian has shared the stage with Ellis Paul, Don White, Peter Mulvey, and Lori McKenna. His style is somewhere between roots, blues, folk, and pop music. He is a bold and dramatic performer who loves to deliver his “message from the muse.”