Folk music’s newest star José González puts on a gracious, understated show for a Montreal audience. The set included hits from his album Veneer and a few surprises.
Humility defines José González as a musician. When he took the stage on June 27 at Montreal's Le National, his mannerisms were understated to the point of being shy. His set-up was minimal: a chair, his classical guitar, and two microphones, basically the same musical ingredients that went into producing his most recent album, Veneer (Mute U.S.).
Born in Sweden to an Argentinean family, González has become an international superstar-first in Scandinavia and then across Europe-since the album appeared last summer. At one point, his cover of The Knife's "Heartbeats" even reach the pinnacle of popular success, becoming the UK's #1 ringtone download.
But with González there is no hint of rock-stardom. On this steamy night in Montreal, he sat down, thanked the audience for coming out, and launched into "Deadweight on Velveteen," one of the album's lesser-known tracks. Immediately, the audience was drawn into the stark intimacy of the performance. As a musician, González's charisma rests in his entrancing finger-picking guitar style and the soothing cadence of his gentle, meandering melodies.
Over the course of the show, he covered most of the album, including "Stay in the Shade," "Lovestain," and "Hints." The first hop-scotch notes of "Heartbeats" elicited intense cries from the audience that then immediately stopped so the soft chords could be heard.
Finally, the pulsating rhythms of "Crosses" and one of González's standard live songs, the Kylie Minogue cover "Hand on Your Heart," completed an inspired, passionate set. The only noticeable omission was the uplifting ode to personal strength, "Save Your Day."
Nevertheless, as the audience left the theatre, people appeared relaxed and happy about the performance. In addition to González, opening acts Psapp and Juana Molina offered widely varying styles that remained strangely complementary.
London's Psapp coaxed a lighthearted, melodious take on chamber-pop from a wide array of toys and doodads. Argentinean songstress Molina, although bothered by some sound problems, conjured ghostly and operatic folksongs in her native Spanish.
Overall, González and the others created a world-apart on this night in Montreal. They offered listeners a show of laidback, unpretentious music and a sense of solace that lingered long after the final song.
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