Durand Jones & the Indications @ The Bluebird

Durand Jones is an R&B phenomenon that’s here to stay

With some well-deserved swagger, Durand Jones and the Indications took the stage last Friday night at the Bluebird, serenading a sold out house with some sweet and sultry rhythm and blues. Already vibrating with excitement, the packed house nearly exploded when Jones sauntered out and grabbed the mic at center stage, grinning. His smile showed a sense of accomplishment – like he and his band of Indiana music students had hit a stride, and he knew it. And he wasn’t wrong.

From the first notes of “Make a Change,” the opening tune from the band’s eponymous 2016 release, the room was filled with a smooth, warm euphoria that simply built with each song. As they followed with “Circles” and “Don’t You Know,” both from their brilliant sophomore effort American Love Call, you could almost hear hearts slowing down as couples naturally moved closer together. “Court of Love” and “Walk Away” built on an atmosphere of romantic love that was brought back to earth for just a minute by the politically charged ballad “Morning in America.”

And that was only about a third of the way through their set.

While a load of R & B purists have been rushing to call The Indications anything from well-intentioned, albeit somewhat sterile, imitators to downright copycats, their show that night settled that score in the band’s favor – at least as far as we’re concerned. While it’s true Durand and his cohorts constantly show their deep knowledge of the genre, it’s just not accurate – or fair – to rob this group of the credit they deserve for moving that genre forward.

Sure, there were moments that were a little more than reminiscent of a Sam Cooke, Isley Bros., or Marvin Gaye set, but each song was delivered with skill, musicality, and plain old heart that belied any imitating. Splitting vocals back and forth with drummer Aaron Frazer also added another level of legitimate soulfulness to the night. Frazer’s exquisite falsetto – delivered as flawlessly as his drumming was on time, all the time, and every time – undoubtedly produced millions of goosebumps throughout the audience.

Drummer Aaron Frazer added another level of legitimate soulfulness to the night.

Leading from behind on tunes like “Don’t You Know,” “Too Many Tears,” “Is It Any Wonder,” and “How Can I Be Sure,” Frazer managed to lift the roof just a little higher, and pushed the sway in the audience just a little wider. By the time the band left the stage after an encore the audience fairly begged for, the building felt wrung out, sated, and a little breathless. Durand Jones & the Indications showed Denver they’d arrived, and are here to stay.

Ginger Root, a trio from Huntington Beach describers their music as “aggressive elevator soul,” opened the night with a light, groovy set. Led by keyboard wiz Cameron Lew – who also belts out smooth, powerful, and soulful vocals – the trio looked like they’d come in to perform directly after a mathletes competition. But the performance proved their talents to be far more than just in numbers. With plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor, Lew led the band through lite, keyboard & bass soul tunes that left the quickly filling Bluebird well readied for Durand’s smoky onslaught later. They’re much more than pretty faces, for sure – though their genre description is probably more than accurate.