He began his set promptly at 8:30 p.m. and opened with his beautiful ballad “I Could Not Ask For More,” as red lights graced the stage, and he was able to silence the entire room doing so. “Thank God for that song,” McCain said. “I love it when I hear it at Home Depot.”
McCain continued with a tune that he penned for his daughter, which she did not want to hear, yet it is safe to say that the B.B. King Blues Club venue was fine with his soothing performance of “Walk With You.” He joked that he loves his daughter so much to the point where they live in a house with a chihuahua that she brought in, named Bandito. He went on to introduce the members of his trio, which included Larry Chaney on lead guitar and Craig Shields on saxophone, both of which have been with McCain 18 years and 25 years respectively.
After singing “Gramercy Park Hotel,” he immediately broke into the jazzy “One Thing Left to Do,” as blue and green lights dimmed on the stage. It was followed by the cheery “I Want It All,” where he expressed his love for his wife, and he had the audience clapping along.
McCain displayed his rich and crisp vocals on the haunting ballad “Sober” and the inclusion of the upbeat “Darwin’s Children” in the set was an added bonus.
“Eight Miles from a Paved Road” was yet another noteworthy ballad, featuring his powerhouse voice. “Sign on the Door” was a sultry tune, where his refreshing vocals were reminiscent of Bryan Adams meets Bruce Springsteen.
“Ghost of Jackson Square” was a stunning acoustic ballad by McCain that one could listen to all day long. The highlight vocal of the evening was his signature tune, the love ballad “I’ll Be,” which garnered a standing ovation from the crowd. For his encore, McCain returned to sing “Tiny Hand Print,” where the New York audience was left yearning for more.
The Verdict
Overall, Edwin McCain was awesome at B.B. King Blues Club in New York City. He proved that he is one of the most underrated male artists in music today. If one has yet to see McCain and his trio (Chaney and Shields) perform live, then their bucket list in life is not complete. His vocals are heavenly and captivating. His live show in the heart of Manhattan earned 5 out of 5 stars.
