Lady Sovereign has been upstaged quite a bit since being dubbed
"Feminem" and making a splash with Vertically Challenged
just four years ago. M.I.A. has come to the forefront for British
female hip-hop. Other female British artists have become more
newsworthy for some combination of blue-eyed retro soul, MySpace
success or substance abuse problems. Still, she drew a sizable crowd to
the Paradise on Sunday night.
DJ Annalyze worked the crowd for an extended stretch before Lady Sov
and her drummer took the stage. The petite rapper
worked the stage, striding from one end to the other and occasionally
mugging for the many fans armed with cameras and camera phones.
However, she did chide one person near the stage, "Would you please
stop texting." She didn't mind the technology as long it was focused on
her.
While a few of her songs are undeniably great -- "Love Me or Hate Me"
and "Random" were fun for riling up the crowd -- there was nothing to
suggest that she's an artist for the ages. For all her energy, she
didn't bring enough to her performance or material that was truly
outstanding.
