Photojournal : Jessy Lanza at Il Motore

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Jessy Lanza is one of the most likable, charismatic performers around (read our interview with her HERE). Perhaps it’s because she’s so cute and petite that no one expects such mighty sounds to come from the speakers. She has a mighty legion of dedicated fans who look like they’ve stepped off the set of Portlandia, and who don’t stop moving from first beat to the last. With an unpretentious air, Lanza mans a little rig comprised of synth, mixers, and a laptop for deep beats, and then sings over with her angelic voice. Together, it’s a smooth sound, easy on the ears, and deliciously moreish. There’s less emphasis on lyric and much more on the groove and the texture of her voice, a warm, sultry at times, and others a more breathy purr. She’s as concerned with tweaking the knobs as playing keys as she is with getting out the lyrics. While the number of songs in her arsenal is slightly small — she is a debut artist, after all — each one is as good as the next. Some more hip hop, others clubby or even buddha lounge material. When she kicked out the final Keep Moving, it was all the audience wanted to do.