SOUNDTRACK: SiR-Tiny Desk Concert #941 (February 3, 2020).
I had never heard of SiR, the 
R&B singer from Inglewood, CA. That’s not surprising since I don’t listen to R&B.
But as I often say I’m always surprised to read that someone is very successful and yet I have never heard of them.
Since signing to hip-hop juggernaut Top Dawg Entertainment in 2017, Sir Darryl Farris has been the most consistent, most reliable player on the roster outside of its original four. His output has further solidified the label’s stake in spaces outside of just rap music.
He sings four songs, all ballads. His voice is somewhere between speaking and singing with an interesting raspy quality.
The songs come from his latest LP, Chasing Summer.
Themes of regret loom throughout the album and he’s never shied away from writing about personal flaws. His depiction of misdirected desires and heartbreak on “John Redcorn” and “The Recipe” reveal a cruel honesty that couples grapple with at times.
“The Recipe” has some really nice backing vocals from Davion Farris, Jacquelyn Farris and Zyah Belle.
“New Sky” has a pretty piano melody from Ledaris “L.J.” Jones with some nice fat bass from Samuel Davis. I quite like like the vocals on the chorus.
When he introduces the band he reveals that Davion Farris is his older brother and Jacquelyn Farris is his mom.
The set was also a family affair with his mother and older brother offering support as two of the three background vocalists. We get a glimpse of his upbringing in the gospel choir once those harmonies open up.
The set proves to be unexpectedly emotional
About halfway through the performance, SiR revealed that he’d lost his infant godson a few days prior and dedicated the performance to him. “We’re doing this for him. I didn’t want to come… It took a lot for me to be here today …but we’re gonna get through this.”
He plays the spare “Wires in the Way.” It’s just his voice with some quiet jazzy guitar from Terrall Whitehead. Midway through some lovely jazzy piano is added. Throughout, you can see how emotional SiR is while singing the song and then he needs a moment at the end before they start the last song.
Woah.
He is able to bring the happiness back for the last song. He says “It’s my favorite song off the album. Hope you like this last one.”
“John Redcorn” feels like a culmination of the other songs, with everyone playing or singing to make this song very full. I especially like the way Roger “Jooseondrums” Benford makes the cymbals sound like they are filling up the room.
Many Tiny Desk Concerts are emotional and you;d have to be stone cold not to be moved by this one.
[READ: February 20, 2020] Princeless: Raven Book 3
Book Two ended with a cliffhanger–would Raven be able to save Ximena? She needs to take Ximena for medical care, but she knows that she can’t go anywhere on the island, since her brothers rule everything there.
Katie looks at the maps that Ximena has been making and sees that there’s an island not too far off. It’s a spa for people who are really injured. They set sail immediately and Katie is put in charge while Raven stays with Ximena. Raven reveals that she is in love with Ximena (which most of the crew guessed anyway).
Raven is told that Ximena needs to hear her voice if she is to recover and so Raven tells the story of how her mother and father met. It’s a pretty wonderful story and is beautifully drawn by Sorah Suhng.
All this time, Sunshine has been listening at the door. It turns out she’s quite jealous of Ximena because she has a major thing for Raven. So when Raven asks Sunshine to tell Ximena a story, Sunshine is really torn. But she knows how important it is so she tells the story of how her parents met–that a human and an elf could conceive. It’s a pretty great story drawn in a very different style by Jason Strutz. (more…)
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