Lovable Huggable Chastity Brown

By Rosie Sauvageau
Contributing Writer

Chastity Brown made her second appearance in the Fargo-Moorhead area this Saturday. Her first engagement was a gig in conjunction with the Celebration of Women and Their Music, which is held at the Fargo Theatre annually each February. Brown, originally from Tennessee, is based in Minneapolis and is a soulful folk singer who plays guitar, saxophone, and piano.

This artist channels a soulful Corrine Bailey Rae tone yet, throws in the folk-based Bob Dylan vibe to greatly entertain everyone down to the very last 870th seat of the Fargo Theatre; after her first performance, an invitation back to Fargo was not far behind.

Brown’s new CD “High Noon Teeth” has been blowing away audiences around the Midwest since its debut on June 12th at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. The combination of soulful jazz and folk influences on this album creates a delicious treat for all listeners’ ears. Nothing but rave reviews, praising her fresh approach to this genre of music have followed Brown around since the day of her release.

Brown’s performance drew a cozy crowd to the Aquarium on July 17th. Although the crowd wasn’t huge, the excitement was great. The set list included mostly tunes from her new album, as well as a few crowd requests of her older pieces from earlier albums.

Brown’s smooth, controlled tone had the audience begging for more with each passing note. Her nonchalant, personable nature intrigued listeners and welcomed them into her world, her music.

Brown’s performance of “Only This” brought a strange silence over the Aquarium crowd. The energy from this song wasn’t driven by a strong beat or driving bass solo, but rather came from Brown’s hushed voice, as she brushed over each note as if she were whispering, but ended with her powerful, husky voice consuming the entire room.

The final song of the night “Back Road Highways,” is not only the last song on the album, but the last song recorded for the album as well. On her first visit to Fargo, Brown performed this piece-in-the-making at her post show at the Silver Moon. It was shortly after her trip to Fargo that she completed this song, as her journey to the Fargo-Moorhead area inspired her and helped her wrap up the album.

Her appeal to the crowds she has entertained in Fargo thus far seems to have been well worth her trips north.

This show somehow went under the radar in the FM media, as attendance was lower than expected based on her wow factor at the Celebration of Women and their Music, as well as her show-stopping performance at her intimate post show at the Silver Moon.

Here’s hoping Chastity Brown will make another trip north very soon.

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If You Go

What: Chastity Brown
Where: Art Center, Rochester MN
When: Friday, August 6, 9pm
Info: 507.282.8629