Maylee Todd - Black Box @ Great Hall (Apr 25/13)

What a relief it was for the uncomfortably loud club scene, with its brain-rattling bass, to finally dissipate after a couple long hours so Maylee Todd and co. could take center stage. Well, at least Maylee took center stage, introduced by her self-proclaimed comedian roommate, and the rest of the stage was crammed with her 7 piece backing band. She opened prettily with her harp and her voice before the bass, guitar, drums, keys, and flute came in. Maylee was dazzling in a shimmering dress (designed by her sister and repeatedly likened to resembling a vagina) and long braids wrapped around her head with emphatic facial makeup  Her performance was also dazzling, as she primarily focussed on adding her spectacular vocals to the range of groovy, funky, smooth tunes. She had some help too, audibly from her duo of backing crooners and visually from the synchronized, sparkling dancers that joined her partway through. In terms of song highlights the back to back combo of Baby's Got It and Hieroglyphics were easily it, but the whole show was a performance. The encore resembled a second set, as the dancers entered the crowd as hype men and women, tossing glow sticks and inciting excitement and dancing. An extended breakdown saw an impromptu dance showcase from the crowd, in an aisle on the floor dubbed a Soul Train. Altogether it was a blazing album release party.