Saturday Night Live music: Gary Clark Jr. performs ‘This Land,’ ‘Pearl Cadillac’
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If you don’t know much about Clark, the first thing to know is that he’s a singer/musician with a lovely falsetto and, beyond that, a buttery voice. His voice was old-school, and his guitar work was on another level. The first song that he performed tonight was “Pearl Cadillac,” a slow number where his electric guitar echoed and reverberated through the room. This was mixed together almost perfectly. We like the fact that there was a lot going on here musically, but at the same time you could still hear Gary’s voice moving through the room and every single word that he said.
We do think that performing on SNL is a much harder gig sometimes than anyone realizes, mostly because you’ve got the challenge of having to hit the notes, appeal to the mainstream, and also sell yourself as a genuine artist. Clark did all three, and we think that he probably made a new fans on the other side of all things.
As for the second performance…
Clark chose to perform here “This Land,” which you could interpret as a modern-day blues protest song. There was some strong music backing the track here once more and beyond that, the message of this song was powerful and prescient. There’s a lot of blues in Clark’s music, and we do think that some of the best music in this genre over the years is the kind that makes you think someone outside of yourself.
We think that, in the aftermath of this, Clark will certainly have people talking. That was the goal, and we’re confident he delivered.
Related News – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to the show, including a new review for tonight’s episode
What did you think about Gary Clark Jr. on Saturday Night Live this weekend? Be sure to share right now in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned for some more news regarding the series. (Photo: NBC.)