Willow’s self-titled album leads audiences into a high resolution, psychedelic universe that engages on all levels.
On Sunday, November 17th 2019, I got a chance to see one of my favorite artists in concert; Willow. Following her as a fan for many years, I hadn’t found myself in or near a city of one of her tour dates until now. Currently visiting San Antonio for a month, I could not miss this opportunity to feel Willow’s creative vibes live. Both excitement and curiosity grew in the days leading up to this spellbinding performance.
The stage set up is perfectly simplistic and fits the energy of the room very well. Her band is planted in and around three large 3D scales of flashing-colorful shapes; a Pyramid, Octagon and Cube. Willow’s black and white slim-fitting bodysuit gives the impression of what future intergalactic astronauts would wear, except she is willingly taking us on a ride to outer space with her. We enthusiastically anticipated lift off as she began her set with her opening track from the latest album; “Like a Bird”. While this album is short and sweet, it also guaranteed that I’d hear all the songs that immediately attached themselves to me from the first listen. Her beautiful performance brought on a unique level of “vibing out”.
Notable Tracks
Female Enery Pt. 2
The guitar intro feels like a sunrise, with warm stretches in vocal range from Willow, swaying between harmonies with minimal effort. An awakening and acceptance of oneself is encouraged with her words of, “light up this time”. On stage, her hair nestled atop her head with a flowing layer of her locks spun within a thick cloud of smoke covering the stage. Her relaxed energy poured into the raving crowd.
Time Machine
This is by far my favorite example of music being a vehicle of time travel. Willow expresses a specific wonderlust of decades unseen, of the future and of the past. Classic rock cords strike the air, the band jams in unison as they chase her beckoning voice. The ballad swings low, highlighting the soft stresses of her falsetto with each word.
Overthinking It
Everytime this track crosses my mind, it brings on a quiet humming which quickly turns into a loud bellowing of the full verse, easily. The powerful wailing of her voice commands the room, popping energy from corner to corner. It’s a calling to remain present in the moment, to push through anxious and doubtful thoughts. Speaking to me directly, there was no more time to waste on worrying about being in one place or another but to remain focused on following my purpose in whatever space I’m in.
