By Jack Butler
The Sentient Bean is a great haven for artists to display their craft. They hosted a free concert on Nov. 3, featuring singer-songwriter Ruby Kendrick, and her close friend Xan Nichols.
It was an easygoing gig, open to all, but mostly populated by an intimate environment of friends, family and customers of the cafe. Some were eating from the kitchen, others watched over mugs of hot cider and small salads.
With folk melodies and charming lyrics, these two girls put on an inviting show that was pleasing to the audience, and they brought their own blend of soul to the floor.
Xan Nichols started the night off with a quick cover. Although she didn’t have an album to promote, she managed to hold her own on the stage.
Nichols, with a penchant for quirky love songs, performed a good set with nothing but a ukulele and her sweet island voice.
Her songs were innocent portraits of romance with a good eye for detail, whether summoning nostalgia for the ’00s and multi-colored Converse sneakers or a story of two zombies staying together beyond the grave, her sweet exotic voice played with the melodies gently.
It was a great opener for her friend, and she set the pace perfectly.
Kendrick’s following act was just as strong, and while she was darker lyrically and louder with an electric guitar and bass, her set was no less intimate.
Her voice was sweet, and her songwriting down pat, with strong, clever melodies and her partner on bass bouncing along with a crisp line. Her lyrics were well read, well deployed, and very relevant. The song “Ain’t Gonna Call” gave a quick shout out to modern-day items like Skype and texting.
Near the end, her bassist left the stage and Kendrick continued with her set, closing off the night with some of her new material, including songs that had never been played live in front of an audience before.
Kendrick has been a songwriter since middle school, and after meeting a producer through a friend, made a New Year’s resolution to record some of her work.
Her set included some songs off of her debut album “No Weight No Chain” and also newly written songs, some no more than a week old. Her topics are kind, and talking to her after the show revealed a generous, humble woman who’s grateful for the audience she has and the attention she’s receiving.
This songwriter has a lot of potential, and she’s someone to see, even as she’s still finding her voice as a performer. The sky is the limit for this artist, and a performance of hers is far from the worst way to spend a night in Savannah.
Click here to listen to Kendrick’s new album.
