For a guy who sings blue-eyed soul, an often predictable style, Sam Smith sure is all about the unexpected.
The London-born performer got his start on oddball releases in the United Kingdom. He sang the hook for electronica duo Disclosure’s big single, “Latch,” and helped drive producer Naughty Boy’s song “La La La” to the top of the U.K. charts.
He seemed like the kind of silver-voiced singer content to work on the fringes. Then he upset all ideas about him with the release his own major label debut, the extremely melodic and consistently infectious “In the Lonely Hour.”
He wasn’t going to stay on the fringes after all. This guy was going to No. 1 on his own. His two calling-card songs, “Stay With Me” and “I’m Not the Only One,” have become staples on the Billboard Hot 100, with Smith’s melancholy lyrics balanced evenly by his strong sense of melody.
Now Smith is touring the world, with a nearly sold-out date at KeyArena at 7 p.m. Feb. 2. That said, with many of his stadium dates selling out across the United States, don’t be surprised if he ends up playing to a packed house during his stop in Seattle.
Tickets are $50.90 to $88.44 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
Kip Moore also is headed to Seattle, as the country rock singer hits the Showbox SoDo at 8 p.m. Jan. 31.
Moore made a splash in 2012 with the release of his debut album, “Up All Night,” winning over the Nashville set with a sound that was part classic country and part Heartland rock. New single “Dirt Road” hit the radio waves last year, but failed to make as strong an impression as his earlier material.
Moore has since regrouped and is gearing up now to release his delayed sophomore album. Fans can expect to hear tracks off that, along with earlier hits like “Beer Money,” “Hey Pretty Girl” and “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck” — you know, country music.
Tickets are $35 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
G. Love and Special Sauce, meanwhile, will kick off a busy stretch of days for the Showbox when the group plays the downtown Seattle venue at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30.
The eclectic alterna-pop group from Philadelphia got its start all the way back in 1992, turning its love of blues, hip-hop and pop rock into something that, during the heydays of Pearl Jam, was fairly unique.
These days, that sound is all but commonplace on the radio, even if G. Love is not. The group has never quite cracked into the mainstream, instead holding onto a small but loyal following, with its albums usually charting outside the Top 40.
The group is touring now behind its latest record, “Sugar,” which hit No. 49 last year. That disc found the group’s original line-up reuniting to record an album that again found the act tossing musical styles into the blender.
Tickets are $30 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
Then, at 9 p.m. Jan. 31 the Showbox will host Bill Frisell, the famed jazz guitarist.
The 63-year-old musician, who has lived in Seattle for years, got his start in the 1970s, bouncing around the East Coast and Europe. There, he crafted his unique sound and won a name for himself.
Along with the admiration of his fellow musicians, he’s won a popular following, with a prolific output that has made him a mainstay on the jazz charts. He’s touring now behind “Guitar in the Space Age!,” an album that pays tribute to the rock and blues of the 1950s and 1960s. The record hit No. 2 on the jazz charts this past October.
Tickets are $25 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
Finally, Logic will hit the Showbox for a concert at 9 p.m. Feb. 5.
The independently-minded emcee, whose blend of singing and rapping has won him comparisons to Drake, got his start releasing his own mixtapes and touring without a label’s support.
After succeeding at both, he signed with Def Jam and is now touring behind his major label debut, “Under Pressure.” The often gritty autobiographical album featured no cameos by other artists — a rarity in rap — and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
