Judith Hill performed at WXPN’s World Cafe Live with Ginger Coyle as her opener June 21. Both Hill and Coyle are rising soul stars. Although their styles may differ slightly from one another, both still keep the audience emotionally involved.
Ginger Coyle is based in Southampton, New Jersey, located in Philadelphia’s outer New Jersey suburbs. Similar to Hill, her style is very pop-jazz and soul oriented. However, her voice is not quite as powerful. Overall, listeners may compare specific aspects of her voice and instrumentation to those of Norah Jones or Christina Aguilera.
Many of Coyle’s songs talk about trying to maintain a happy, healthy life or struggling to achieve that lifestyle. For example, in her song “The Big Picture” she is singing about someone struggling to find his or her niche within a certain place or life in general. Many people within the age range of 18 to 22 may relate to that as they may not have an exact idea of where they want to go in life. However, the catchy rhythm of the song puts a positive spin on that idea.
Other songs Coyle played included “Rise Up,” which she plans to release as a single within the next two weeks. As the name of the song suggests, it emphasizes the good feelings behind knowing how to advance through life step-by-step. Of course, people love to have a clear idea of what to do in each life step.
Judith Hill took the stage following Coyle’s performance. Hill, who hails from Los Angeles, has a long history when it comes to performance, as she sang background vocals for Michael Jackson for a period of time. However, she made large steps towards fame in 2007.
Hill’s style is very similar to that of Michael Jackson and is unique for today’s music. She is very energetic and has a distinctly powerful voice that audience members can easily remember from attending one of her concerts for the first time. With her voice booming, audience members are almost guaranteed to be engaged in the groove of her music. This is also because she makes every effort to psych her audience up with certain gestures while walking across the stage.
Not many of today’s R&B artists sound anything like Hill; the only ones who might be able to compete with her are Bruno Mars or CeeLo Green. With similar backing vocal styles to Hill, both of those artists carry an old-style rhythm-and-blues vibe.
Hill also does not stop to talk to her audience much; in many cases, she sing-talks to her audience when she asks such questions as, “Are you ready to get wild tonight?” In pouring her soul out to the audience, this attitude shows how seriously she values music in her life. She also appeals to audience members who love surprises and have never heard her before, as she does not announce her song names.
Judith Hill released her debut studio album “Back In Time” in October 2015, and it is available on iTunes for under $11. Ginger Coyle is currently working on her new album. “Rise Up” may not be available on iTunes yet, but her Homeward Bound EP (including her song “Moon and Back”) is available for under $6.