Erika de Casier has been on the rise over the past few years with her slinky smooth R&B jams coming in hot, bringing steamy vibes to the dance floor. Last year, she reached new heights as the producer of NewJeans' smash K-Pop single "Super Shy" which brought her bright melodies and head-spinning rhythms to the masses. Riding high off of that much earned success, de Casier dropped her new album this past February and is now on tour across America and Canada in support of the record. On Saturday night, she stopped at Brooklyn's Warsaw and took to the stage in front of a passionate, sold-out crowd to deliver the hits. For her hour long set, Erika was mostly in the shadows, her backlit figure moving along in front of a big screen that occasionally had some visuals when it wasn't blanketed in solid colors and she was backed by a lone percussionist who added live beats on drum pads, cymbals, and chimes over the otherwise pre-recorded music.While the fans in attendance had energy that was ready to blow the roof off the venue, de Casier's performance felt rather reserved as she mostly stood centerstage and swayed along to her tunes. Her vocals were muddy and sounded low in the mix so much to the extent that I felt like I spent a large part of the show trying to make out her vocals only to defer to the crowd who was excitedly shouting along to words I couldn't understand from the singer on stage. There were also a few numbers where she took a seat and delivered the songs from a chair, looking cool, but giving little energy back to the crowd and her presence was minimal at best. It was a bizarre showing from a woman who, on record, seems to have unlimited potential and seemed poised to make for a show that could've catapulted things to the next level. Still, even when her energy was lacking, the crowd carried the torch and their reaction to her killer songs was enough to lift the night and move things forward. "Polite" was an early favorite and while it could've sounded massive, it was still a highlight that had the audience fully engaged, swaying along to the sultry vibes with effervescent charm. Song of the year contender "Lucky" hit hard and the music was sonically impressive and fortunately, Erika was tuned in for this one and it was apparent that she was glowing in the admiration from the fans during this number, the twinkling piano and shuffling rhythm feeling extra charged-up and ready to rippled across the crowd with weightless effort and total bliss. Other highlights from the night included "ice" and "Drama," both of which had the crowd once again supplementing the energy that I had expected de Casier to deliver in flying colors. Video clips of Shygirl allowed her to deliver her verse on "Ex-Girlfriend," but it was the guest appearance from Blood Orange on their collaboration "Twice" that got the biggest reaction of the night. While the show was far from being bad, it was underwhelming to see an artist who could be on the verge of a major career breakthrough deliver something that felt so lackluster and half-baked. When the magic of the songs connected, the room came alive and if de Casier can capture more moments like that, she'll reach the levels she's capable of playing. Hopefully as her tour continues, she'll reach these heights and even so, the songs can be thrilling enough and if the crowd's engaged, it's still a party worth attending.
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