LADY BLACKBIRD

,CITY WINERY,CHICAGO,

APRIL 24

BY MAJA RIOS

Lady Blackbird, the stage name of Marley Monroe—a vocalist and songwriter—performed on April 24, 2025, at Chicago’s City Winery, marking her first performance in the city. She hails from the West Coast, and I had been looking forward to the show. She performed with her music partner, guitarist, and songwriter Chris Seefried, who is also based on the West Coast, as a vocal-and-guitar duo. Together, they created magic. Though they usually record and perform as a quintet—with piano, bass, and drums—the intimate nature of a duo served the songs well. A mixture of folk, blues, soul, pop, gospel, and a touch of jazz is the hallmark of Lady Blackbird’s sound. The crowd was just as diverse in age and ethnicity.

They started the set with a brief riff on Summertime before launching into a blues number by Sam Cooke called Lost and Looking. Lady Blackbird has a rich, powerful, soulful voice that easily handles these kinds of songs. Her album, Black Acid Soul, is full of such retro-soul numbers. Chris Seefried, her music partner, added reverb and looping effects to his guitar, making the duo sound much larger.

Next, they performed one of my favorite songs that Chris wrote, Woman. It sounded incredible as a duo—an uptempo, minor-blues piece. Their road manager, who also served as a guest vocalist, known as “Peaches,” joined them on the next number, Sweethearts No More. This song and other originals were performed from Lady Blackbird’s second album, Slang Spirituals, which has a more folksy feel compared to her debut, Black Acid Soul. The Slang Spirituals cuts they performed included Man on a Boat, Like a Woman, and a few others.

Toward the end of the approximately hour-and-a-half set, she performed my favorite song—a cover of a Tim Hardin piece called It Will Never Happen Again, a jazzy, slow, melancholic ballad that I love. In closing, she sang I Am What I Am from a Broadway musical—a song of self-discovery and self-acceptance that felt perfect for an artist as unique as Lady Blackbird, with her incredible voice. A great time was had by all

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