Music
Todrick Hall's New Musical: Beautiful Singing Meets Structural Chaos
A review of Todrick Hall’s ambitious musical project, 'Midnight' and a 'Benjamin Button' adaptation, finds vocal beauty battling structural discombobulation. The critique situates this work within a broader cultural moment where music is being deconstructed into new sonic forms.
The Discombobulated Grandeur of Todrick Hall’s ‘Midnight’
Todrick Hall’s latest theatrical offering, ‘Midnight,’ arrives draped in an aesthetic that strives for grandiosity through an overstuffed, quasi-opera sensibility. Yet, the critical reception suggests this ambition ultimately buckles under its own weight, resulting in a production that feels profoundly discombobulated. Reviewers have noted moments where genuine musical artistry manages to pierce through the surrounding chaos, suggesting that when the disparate elements align, the vocal performances possess a certain shine.
However, this positive assessment is significantly tempered by a pervasive sense that the musical lacks structural cohesion. The experience is less akin to a carefully constructed piece of art and more like a collection of compelling, yet ultimately unconnected, musical vignettes stitched together with uneven thread. This fundamental tension—between soaring moments of potential brilliance and an overall sense of disorganization—serves as the defining characteristic of Hall’s current theatrical statement.
A Cutesy Adaptation Lacking Necessary Depth
In stark contrast to the sprawling ambition displayed in ‘Midnight,’ another recent musical adaptation, ‘Benjamin Button,’ presents a different kind of critical challenge. This production leans heavily into a cutesy approach to its source material, boasting a cast that is undeniably talented and successfully brings a certain charm to the stage. The ensemble members are clearly capable performers, delivering a pleasant experience for those in attendance.
Despite this competence in execution, critics argue that the reliance on a lighter tone comes at the expense of substantive musical exploration. While the production manages to nod toward the themes inherent in the source material, it ultimately fails to delve into the deeper emotional or thematic currents required to grant the work lasting resonance. Consequently, ‘Benjamin Button’ remains pleasant but lacks the necessary intellectual or emotional weight needed to transcend mere surface-level appeal.
Deconstructing Dance Music: The Weird Baile Phenomenon
Shifting focus from theatrical productions to the broader landscape of electronic music reveals a fascinating deep dive into Brazilian rhythms characterized by deconstruction and reinvention. The compilation album, *Weird Baile: Collected Rips 2004-2024*, functions as a truly hallucinatory journey into the outer limits of baile funk culture.
This collection spans two decades of production work from artists including JLZ, VHOOR, Mu540, and DJ RaMeMes. The project’s core strategy is to strip the Brazilian genre down to its essential components, allowing it to chime unexpectedly with grime and drill aesthetics. Baile funk itself boasts a rich history, originating in 1980s Brazil as a bass-heavy fusion of syncopated folk rhythms and hip-hop sampling. It has since evolved into diverse regional styles, ranging from the hyperpop freneticism of D.Silvestre to the eerie soundscapes crafted by DJ K and MC Lan.
A Hallucinatory Blend of Global Soundscapes
The true genius embedded within *Weird Baile* lies not in simple replication but in the active disruption of established musical motifs. The compilation engages sophisticatedly with global musical continuums by taking existing elements and deconstructing them into entirely new forms. For instance, *Grime Do Weird Baile* flips the front-footed aggression found in Skepta and JME’s 2006 Rhythm & Gash Freestyle beat into a bouncing dancefloor number. Simultaneously, Beat Derruba Gringo takes a trance synth melody and transforms it into an ominous assault.
This process demonstrates a sophisticated engagement with global musical continuums by weaving in elements like the skittering drill bass from PPRT and dubstep-influenced sounds from CaFaGesTeh, while also referencing Mala’s 2007 track Changes in the ambient opening of Pique da Oakley. This work successfully sends baile funk into a hallucinatory zone by refusing to simply replicate its roots; instead, it forges a new, complex soundscape that honors its history while aggressively pushing its boundaries.
Beyond the Dance Floor: New Global Rhythms Emerge
The cultural pulse explored through this music review extends well beyond electronic dance music into vibrant, evolving musical traditions across the globe. In parallel with this exploration of dance music, significant developments are occurring in world music and traditional instrumentation. Soumik Datta has recently returned with his album *Melodies in Slow Motion (The Spontaneous Society)*, drawing inspiration directly from the natural world. His work mimics the zigzagging flight of a honeybee in the title track and captures the wistful beauty of seasonal change within the melodies.
Further enriching this global tapestry is the release by Senegalese ensemble Orchestra Baobab, which has issued its first album in a decade, *Made In Senegal (Strut/Madoky Music)*. This record is lauded as a joyous listen, successfully combining ebullient Afro-Cuban melodies with mbalax rhythms and jazz instrumentation, all performed by a new multigenerational lineup. Complementing these developments, Trombonist Ryan Keberle’s Collectiv Do Brasil has focused its attention on Brazilian composer João Donato on the alternate side of Alternate Side Records, finding ample space for deep-swinging improvisations within Donato’s luscious melodies.
Todrick Hall’s overstuffed quasi-opera is beautifully sung but discombobulated, while a cutesy Fitzgerald adaptation has a talented cast but lacks depth.
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