Cody Melville at the Bowery Electric

Cody Melville was born in Brooklyn, New York, but during his formative years, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. He returned to Brooklyn as a young adult, but both cities played equal parts in his development as a prolific singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. Brooklyn fed his street-savvy world view lyrics and Detroit helped him find his soulful groove. On many of his recordings, he plays the majority of the instruments and has produced his own work as well. Melville released his 10th album, Bonds Eye, on December 8, 2017.

Melville celebrated the release of his newest album with a headlining performance tonight at the Bowery Electric. From the first song, Melville demonstrated that he was a serious singer/songwriter, yet one that was gifted with a resounding rock and roll heart. His compositions were birthed as pensive prose, then given a new wind with a strong backbeat, searing guitars and rolling keyboards. Melville's band served the repertoire well in most cases, although in a few cases early in the set the musicians tended to smother the songs by lending a bit too much boisterous energy. Melville's vocals were passionate, with a delivery that balanced vulnerability and bravado. Thoughtful lyrics delivered like this ultimately made for a compelling performance.