live music

Editor's rating

Venue: Shepherd's Bush Empire
Gig played: 25 October 2008

Robin Thicke is hardly a household name, but it doesn't stop him from acting like a superstar. Waltzing onto the stage to James Brown's 'Get Up Offa That Thing', he dives straight into the funky groove of his latest single 'Magic' with the kind of gusto that'd put younger rival Justin Timberlake to shame. He doesn't just sing either; with the help of a brilliant seven-piece band he slides, poses, vogues and tosses his mike stand back and forth, while his fans let it be known he's the best thing r'n'b has witnessed for a fair while.

The US market certainly seems to think so. Thicke's latest album, Something Else, went straight in at No.3 on the Billboard chart, and over the past few years the songwriter has had the privilege of being tapped for tunes by everyone from Britney Spears to Lil Wayne.

There's no question that he's a good songwriter, showman and singer, and not only is his alternating falsetto-tenor pretty without the schmaltz, but he honours his musical influences with class, offering stand-up tunes for both lovers and party people. The audience add the backing vocals to the delicate Stevie Wonder-inspired 'I Need Love', and Wayne's 'Shooter' is sexy and energetic, seguing nicely into a hip-winding rendition of Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds'.

All considered, he's still a curious figure in the r'n'b game. Thicke's better moments are when he lets the piano do all the hard work and he's just a compassionate songwriter, touching on the woes of society on songs such as 'Dreamworld'. Yet when he's in playboy mode, he's sweaty and clichéd, and though his shrill fans lap up the likes of 'Teach U A Lesson', with accompanying provocative display, it's almost a pity Thicke doesn't just stick to the sweet stuff and call it a night. To his credit, though, he's clearly well schooled in the art of stirring a crowd, and for the most part Robin Thicke is a captivating addition to the r'n'b market.

Matilda Egere-Cooper