BY NOAH FELDMAN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Local R&B soul rock band Bluehound and others came together to perform at the Acadia on Oct. 20. Personnel of the band included both current Auggies and Augsburg alumni. The performance attracted a crowd which definitely exceeded the venue’s maximum capacity, and the raw energy put forth by Bluehound was enough to stir the entire crowd into a dancing and singing frenzy. This intensity was quite surprising considering the general vibe at Acadia would imply softer musical performances.

The music was a blend of extremely talented musicianship and high energy stage presence which truly connected with the audience. The horn section might even compare to a long tradition of awesome funk bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire and contained hip-hop elements like that of De La Soul. I also detected a heavy reggae influence in the guitar and bass of various songs. This helped make the music really stand out and made it extremely pleasant on the ears.

An example of this could be found in their rendition of a modern classic: “Redbone” by Childish Gambino. Bluehound took it to another level by filling it with R&B/funk inspired elements of punchy horn hits and great vocals. This made an already groovy song keenly accessible and super easy to dance too. Childish Gambino would be impressed.

Another standout from the set was a cover of the song “Superstition” made famous by Stevie Wonder. This turned out to be a real crowd pleaser. A song like “Superstition” requires extremely talented musicians, and Bluehound delivered on this and much more. Not only did they make playing this song look easy (it’s not), they genuinely appeared to enjoy every moment of the song.

“If My Heart Could Lie” along with a few other songs showed that the songwriting of Bluehound should not be underestimated. Backing horn notes provided the foundation, and the lyrics sat comfortably on top. The vocals complemented the melody thrown around in the bass and horns. The song also features a reggae guitar riff that is almost instantly internalized, making quite an effective invitation to get everyone dancing.

I found myself swaying around in my chair throughout the performance. Bluehound brought me back to a simpler time, a time before rented textbooks and set five-day schedules. It was exactly the kind of refreshing performance needed after a long week.

Music should make you feel good, and I can say with certainty that Bluehound did just that. To really get the picture, you may need to take a listen for yourself. Bluehound is available on most major streaming platforms, and if you hang around the Music Hall long enough, you might run into a few members. Better yet, catch them performing live at the Nomad World Pub on Nov. 18.

This article first appeared in the Friday, November 3, 2017, Edition of The Echo.