By Jameson Mangan | November 8, 2022
Baby’s All Right was packed shoulder-to-shoulder for a sold out (or as Kali described it, “oversold”) Tuesday night show. Adorned in a bucket hat and shades, Leven Kali slinked his way on stage in front of a wall of dazzling purple lights. A thunderous applause erupted as he made his way up to the mic.
Blame it on the full moon that illuminated the Brooklyn streets that evening–the energy was elevated from the very beginning. As fans continued to pour in, Kali led the crowd in a soulful catharsis on songs like “EEK,” “MINE” and “LET IT RAIN.” Not one to let a single genre pin him down, Kali jumped from R&B, to house, to hip-hop and back again throughout the course of the evening.
Leaning heavily on new material from the LET IT RAIN EP Kali put his musical prowess on full display. In addition to his stunning vocals, he donned the bass and shredded on keys, presenting a high level of proficiency at both.
Tapping into his sensual lyrics and 90’s R&B roots, Kali wasn’t afraid to flaunt his sex appeal. He ‘mysteriously’ lost his shirt about halfway through the show–much to the delight of many fans. For one of Kali’s biggest hits “HOMEGIRL,” he brought two enthusiastic patrons on stage to help sing the song’s infectious hook.
Cyn Q., a Washington D.C. resident who traveled to Brooklyn for the show, effusively recalled her time on stage with Kali. “I was so surprised and couldn’t believe it…It was surreal and amazing! He’s super friendly and has such an amazing gift for music. I’d been following his career since 2019 and have been hooked ever since.” Cyn told us she planned to catch Kali again one week later at Union Stage in D.C.
Kali ended on a powerful note with “JOY,” a song that features emotional lyrics and moving imagery (“Man they blowing up France / And they killing kids in class / So we need a little (JOY) / Now you might feel it take too long / But we gon’ fight and keep on marching to our dream”)
After graciously thanking his fans for the sold out evening, Kali exited the stage and entered what we can only imagine was an adrenaline rush that lasted until morning.
Connect w/ Leven on Instagram, Spotify and his website.
📸: shot by Sarah Schneider
