Son Little and Jade Bird
Son Little, aka soulful Philadelphia singer-songwriter Aaron Livingston, melds blues, R&B, and rock on songs such as “Loser Blues” and “About a Flood” in a way that brings to mind broken but still hopeful troubadours like latter-day Tom Waits and early-day Nick Cave. Characterized by the same Americana-leaning affectations heard in his earlier collaborations with the Roots, Hezekiah, and RJD2, the son of a preacher man has also backed up talents like Mavis Staples, so he’s no stranger to the stage. His new solo career as Son Little, launched in 2014 with his EP Things I Forgot, feels poised for big things around the time that his tour pulls into the Soda Bar on November 4. He’s about to drop his New Magic album, with a lead single, “Blue Magic,” that sports gospel-style backup singers, hollow echo-heavy vocals, and offbeat instrumentation not often heard in contemporary singles, like a glockenspiel.