Kali Uchis adhered to an old adage Monday at Aragon Ballroom: Leave them wanting more. At the first of a sold-out, two-night stand, the genre-bending singer performed more than 20 songs in 75 minutes without ever appearing rushed or preoccupied. She stopped short of playing full renditions of a majority of the material, choosing to move forward and leave the rapt audience little time to digest what it heard.
Sliding around a two-tier stage in a skirt and stiletto heels, Uchis operated much like how her cerebral music often feels: Assertive without being aggressive, confident but not pushy, emotional yet still poised. Save for a few brief reggaeton and salsa-flavored covers, Uchis took her time. The 28-year-old vocalist’s relaxed pacing and live-and-let-live attitude helped distinguish her from many R&B contemporaries, as did her bilingual artistry.
Drawing from multicultural disciplines and blending styles, Uchis reflects the exciting currents lapping at the edges of the modern pop landscape. Born in Virginia, she spent her early childhood in her parents’ native Colombia before returning to the States, gravitating towards the arts and joining her school jazz band. When she wasn’t practicing piano or saxophone, Uchis sought out obscure and outmoded music. At 17, she found herself living in a car after her father booted her from the house for curfew violations.
Though she reconciled with her family, ultimately releasing a lo-fi mixtape while living in her bedroom, Uchis’ rebellious streak never waned. Few of her songs follow traditional patterns. Lyrics alternate between English and Spanish at will. Uchis’ thirst for melding diverse sounds led her to collaborating with like-minded experimenters — R&B phenom SZA, funk legend Bootsy Collins, rock synthesists Gorillaz and rapper Tyler, the Creator among them.
Such efforts have earned her critical acclaim, peer respect and international hits. Since formally emerging in 2015, Uchis has won major awards — Grammy and Billboard honors included. Her recent LP, “Red Moon in Venus,” debuted in the Billboard charts and will be followed by an already completed Spanish album in the near future.
During a rare breather between songs, Uchis spoke of that project as she introduced the unreleased “Diabla,” an acoustic Latin bolero that doubled as a showcase for her deceptively understated voice. She cooed, sighed and, at opportune moments, unleashed lavish high notes. Uchis’ understanding of dynamics, and when to push more air from her lungs, gave dramatic sequences flair and urgency. Particularly since her visions of romance, desire and honesty relied on softness and stillness, and the kind of tension that nestles underneath the surface.
Prioritizing mood and subtlety, Uchis seldom opted for obvious approaches. Her lush, patient deliveries turned up the sexual heat on the woozy “Get You” and turned the sensual “Worth the Wait” into a strip tease of grooves, vibes and whispered confessions. Repeating “love me” on the soulful slow-jam “Not Too Late (Interlude),” Uchis’ left room for interpretation as to whether the phrase represented a desperate demand, polite request or psychedelic hallucination. Dripping like hot wax from a candle, the leisurely melodies and stair-step phrasing of “Melting” echoed the liquefaction process conveyed by the song title — and underlined the pliability of Uchis’ voice.
She frequently sang as if caught in a dream: floating, dazed, blissful, immune to slings and arrows. Yet Uchis explored pain with the same passion she invested in pleasure. The splashy “Dead to Me” stuck a dagger in an unhealthy relationship. Uchis achieved similar liberation amid the chopped beats and ambient accents of “Moral Conscience,” her voice doubling as a finger wagging in the face of a former friend or partner. Even more impressive: “I Wish You Roses,” a shimmering reflection on which she got R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and the satisfaction of taking the high road after a break-up.
A self-described introvert, Uchis flashed hip-swiveling flair on several numbers, especially those infused with Latin rhythms (“Papi Chulo,” “Tattoo”) and hip-hop swagger (“10%,” “Sad Girlz Luv Money”). She worked within and outside the realms of six auxiliary dancers, whose choreographed routines extended to carrying the headliner on and off the stage — with the assistance of feathers. All the better for Uchis’ exquisite torch fare (“Como Te Quiero Yo,” “Blue,” “Loner”), indicative of a bygone jazz age crossing paths with a mellowed-out electronic present.
Alluring and complex, Uchis’ voice deserved proper backing in the form of a band. The decision to forgo live instrumentation in favor of backing tracks robbed the show of some immediacy and presence. Her pairing with an ensemble that shares her creative interests should be a top priority for a subsequent tour. Ditto a move to play more songs in their entirety so that they come off less as a tease.
That’s for the future. For now, it’s rewarding enough to watch what Uchis will do next as she likely makes the leap to larger venues.
Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.
Setlist from Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom May 15
“Telepatía”
“See You Again” (Tyler, the Creator cover)
“Get You” (Daniel Caesar cover)
“Worth the Wait”
“10%” (Kaytranada cover)
“Melting”
“Rica y Apretadita” (El General cover) and “Salvaje” (Gastam cover) medley
“Tattoo”
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“Papi Chulo” (Lorna cover)
“Fue Mejor”
“Dead to Me”
“Loner”
“Moonlight”
“Diabla”
“Speed”
“Moral Conscience”
“Sad Girlz Luv Money” (Amaarae cover)
“Not Too Late (interlude)”
“Como Te Quiero Yo”
“Hasta Cuando”
“Endlessly”
“I Wish You Roses”
“After the Storm”
Encore
“Blue”