Stopping by Under the Bridge last night, Judith Hill had her audience captured in a state of perpetual ‘stank face’ throughout her set.

One can learn a lot about Hill by watching her parents perform alongside her. Her mother Michiko was all frenzied passion on the keys, while her father Pee-Wee was charmingly laid-back on bass. Hill sits somewhere in the middle, often throwing it down with abandon or giving a confident strut.

The family band, joined by guitarist Greg Moore and Donnell Spencer Jr on drums, kicked off the set with the full-throttle funk of ‘Jammin’ in the Basement’ from Hill’s debut album Back To Life. With the exception of a scattering of (beautifully-sung) ballads, the set was geared towards Hill’s synth-laden and gospel-infused funk jams.

Her vocal is also magnificent, with its raspy, coarse texture and elastic range and power. She brought gospel runs and inflection to ‘Hey Stranger’, a soulful midtempo from her sophomore album Golden Child. She scooped into raspy highs on ‘I Can Only Love You Like Fire’ against a backdrop of duelling guitars, amping up the psychedelia as she transitioned into Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘I Want To Take You Higher’. Michiko Hill tore up the synths of ‘Gypsy Lover’, ‘You Can’t Blame Me’, and swaggering anthem ‘The Pepper Club’.

(Image taken from Judith Hill’s Facebook Page)