Rachel Goodrich, Kassin +2 & Obi Best @ Hotel Cafe, 12/10/08

Obi Best
Read Joshua Pressman's December interview with Alex Lilly.

Last Wednesday, local indie band Obi Best (MySpace) -- previously mentioned here -- performed at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood. Opening were Miami-based singer-songwriter Rachel Goodrich (MySpace) and the Rio de Janeiro-based Kassin +2 (MySpace).

Kevin Bronson at Buzz Bands best described Obi Best frontwoman Alex Lilly's music as "...a gallimaufry of pop, jazz and electro that squirms mightily to free itself from the shackles of trite balladry or obtuse experimentation. With melody lines that hardly sit still, lyrics rich in wordplay and a sprinkling of sound effects you might hear in a rural backyard, Lilly's compositions manage to come off at once winsome and wily, and if you don't pay attention to the affectations in her airy vocals, you might mistake an open heart for a bleeding one. [Her debut album] 'Capades' was made with a stellar cast of L.A. musicians -- drummer Barbara Gruska, multi-instrumentalist Bram Inscore and guitarist-keyboardist Oscar Schedin among the many -- and its sonic roots were watered here too. Lilly is a backup vocalist for the Inara George/Greg Kurstin jazz-pop project the Bird and the Bee. In fact, the best reference point for Obi Best's debut might be that it could occupy sonic shelf space between George's 2006 debut, 'All Rise,' and 2007's 'The Bird and the Bee.'"

Tomorrow night, Obi Best and wait. think. fast. (MySpace) open for Juliette Commagere (MySpace) -- previously mentioned here -- at The Troubadour in West Hollywood.