Queen of Rock and Soul at the St. Lawrence Stage

MORRISBURG – Shakura S’Aida stepped on to the Upper Canada Playhouse stage on Saturday night April 23, and flung her arms out to the audience. “This is my first show this year in front of people. And tonight, I’m here with friends,” she announced. And for the rest of that magical evening, this incredible singer made everyone feel that she was performing just for them, during an exhilarating, original and often very touching St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage concert.

She was joined in the show by two wonderful musicians (“these are my soul brothers”), Brooke Blackburn on guitar and Roger Williams on bass. Their instruments sang right along with her striking voice, and when the three of them harmonized together, it was powerful. Brooke has also written the music for some of her songs. On stage, Shakura herself was witty, charming and willing to open up about the life experiences that have influenced her original songs. At one point, she even invited the audience to ask her questions. “I’ll answer any of your questions,” she said, straight-faced, “as long as they’re not about my weight.”

Shakura S’Aida has won numerous prestigious awards for her rich “Blues” vocal interpretations. In an earlier Leader interview, however, she said that she actually sees herself as a “roots artist, someone whose music is rooted in the blues and in African American music. What I am passionate about is bringing that unique sound, created out of my life journey, forward.” And she definitely brings that “life journey” into her songs. She talked of the travelling she did pre-COVID, of being in 30 countries in one year alone. “I learned that I believe in love and community. We always met such good people who opened up their lives to us.” In songs like “Baby, you’re the One” she sang of “love that crosses all the lines,” and in “Moan,” her voice richly reflected the great spirituals when she sang “If you want to reach heaven/but you got the devil on the phone/Stop your feet, clap your hands/And moan.”

Shakura’s music is never limited. In a riotous delivery of “Gitchee Woman” she had the audience on its feet singing right along with her. And she brought the house down when she listened to the crowd join in on the romantic ballad “Honey,” then commented, “Your enthusiasm is great. Your rhythm is…Canadian.” She even delivered a little “Scat” a la the great Ella on “Walk out that Door.”

There were deeply touching moments in Shakura’s performance. The audience grew quiet and reflective when she sang a soulful rendition of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.” Later, she shared how deeply the the Black Lives Matter events touched her. “I’m black. I’ve been in places where I didn’t feel safe. But Black Lives Matter is an inclusive statement – all lives matter. Yours matters and ours too. Stand with us so we can stand up.” These feelings led her to write the lyrics to a powerful song which proclaims, “You ain’t got nothing’ on me/My strength comes from my forefathers/They tell me my life matters.”

Shakura S’Aida in concert was exuberant, stunning vocally and an incredibly warm stage presence. Early in the evening, she told her Playhouse audience “We’re going to do some blues, some roots, some soul and maybe rock out. We’re gonna have fun tonight.”

And we certainly did.

Since you’re here…

… Thanks for reading this article. Local news is important. We hope that you continue to support local news in your community by reading The Leader, online and in print. Please consider subscribing to the print edition of the newspaper. Click here to subscribe today.

Subscribe to Email Alerts

Enter your email address to subscribe to Email Alerts and receive notifications of new posts by email whenever The Leader publishes new content on our website.