Review: DERRICK BASKIN Brings Gratitude and Grace To Feinstein's/54 Below

Derrick Baskin has put an end to two bad habits, one of them as recently as last night, when he opened his club act at Feinstein's/54 Below, thus ending a longtime tendency to say "No" when the club asked him to put up a solo show. And thank goodness that propensity is no longer hanging in the air, making unhappy the legions of fans who finally flooded the basement on 54th Street for the momentous occasion last night. The second of his bad habits bit the dust during the pandemic, when his thoughtful meditations on life led him to the realization that he didn't love himself enough, or in the right way. That dawning taken up residence in him, Derrick Baskin confronted the matter, handled it, and then let go of the balloons of self-doubt and self-loathing. Having taught himself to love himself, Baskin is now living in the light - in his life and on the stage - and sharing the story. That is the foundation of Derrick's aforementioned club act, and last night it took a room full of people to church.

Have you ever been to service in a black church? It's amazing. It's the greatest thing ever. Our black brothers and sisters and non-binary mxters know how to worship, know how to celebrate, and know how to make music, and since Derrick Baskin is one of our beautiful black brethren, much of the 54 Below audience last night was made up of family, friends, and fans who happen to be black. Mind you, not all them, because Baskin has a heck of huge following, and around the packed-to-the-rafters theater one could see audience members of all the colors of the rainbow... but it was Derrick's black family who led the way in the celebration and in the appreciation of Baskin's music and message. Never before has this writer seen something so life-affirming as a room full of people, from musical director Shelton Becton to every last person in the theater, providing pitch-perfect background vocals in support of Baskin as he sang "What's Goin' On", arguably one of the all-time great songs. Watching Derrick relate to the crowd from the stage, his good-natured grin reaching all the way back to the bartenders, as he replied to their supportive shouts and blushed at their waves of love, was half of the joyful experience of being in the room with him.

The other half was the music, the music, the music. It's one thing to listen to Derrick Baskin on a cast album or in a theater when he is portraying a character, but when this man stands on a stage and sings for himself, for his audience, and for his god, it is a sound of such sweetness that you've never heard before... also of such soulfulness, like one can actually see inside of his soul. This isn't the kind of thing to be seen every day in a nightclub. Throughout an entire set that consisted of everything from Stevie Wonder to Stevie Wonder, Baskin can do no wrong. That wasn't a typo: Derrick does lean into Stevie, and it's fabulous. The show isn't all Stevie, there is definitely some Temptations, some Ray Charles, and some moving music that won't be named here so that future audiences can take an unspoiled journey with Derrick, but Mr. Baskin is telling the story of his life in music and that life has been immensely informed by Stevie. So even though the evening isn't necessarily Steve-centric, it is wonderfully blessed by the presence of the Wonder-ful legend.

Whether performing the works of Wonder or the tunes of The Temptations, Derrick Baskin embodies down-to-earth sophistication and wide-eyed-reverence for the life experience. Speaking casually to the audience, he knows what he wants to say and says it with fluidity; without hesitation, without question; the words roll off his eloquent tongue in perfect elocution and perfect confidence, quietly, gently, peacefully, as he teaches by sharing, a modern-day musical prophet sent to spread love through his music. He is one of the most poetic speakers this writer has ever listened to, and whether talking or singing, what Mr. Baskin presents on the stage is so comfortable, so natural, so easy that he might just as well be standing on stage breathing and smiling. Indeed, Mr. Baskin should never stop smiling, for, with that smile, he could change the world through joy.

It's a good thing that Derrick Baskin decided to love himself as much as others love him, and it's a good thing that Derrick Baskin decided to finally put together a club act after all this time. With these two fresh starts, one suspects Derrick Baskin will reach new heights with his artistry and his life, heights even he didn't know were possible, because both his life and his art are now, firmly, rooted in love.

Derrick Baskin plays Feinstein's/54 Below until July 3rd. For information and tickets visit the 54 Below website HERE.

Visit the Derrick Baskin website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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