Pop Break Live: Son Little with Quinton Smith and the Company at Asbury Lanes
On January 17th, Son Little brought his brand of modern R&B to Asbury Lanes. His songs are fresh yet are clever throwbacks to Sam Cooke and Marvin Gay. Before Son Little took the stage, Quintin Smith and the Company got the crowd grooving with their catchy blend of R&B and rock.
As an opening band, Quinton Smith and the Company are one of the best. The band clearly enjoyed its time on stage. The fact that playing Asbury Lanes was one of their goals for the New Year came across in their enthusiastic playing and confidence, which was best demonstrated with an R&B cover of Smash Mouth’s “All Star.”
When Son Little took the stage, the crowd was ready for his smooth vocals over funky beats. His music is the type you slow dance to with your date or gently rock back and forth along as you take in the musician’s raw talent. Midway through Son Little’s set, the drummer and the pianist took a breather.
Alone on stage, Son Little sang his heart out accompanied by nothing more than his own acoustic guitar playing. His set was a mixture of songs from his upcoming album Aloha and fans favorites from his previous releases.
About 15 minutes later, Son Little’s backing band returned to finish out the set. By the end of the night, everyone had a new appreciation for what three men with nothing more than a guitar, a keyboard, and a drum set can create live. The next time Son Little performs near you make sure to check it out.
While you would think the sound of bowling balls rolling down the alley and striking pins would be distracting, it added to the unique atmosphere at Asbury Lanes. If you’ve never been to a show at Asbury Lanes, you should go at least once for the experience.
