Macy Gray finds ‘The Way’ to Canyon Club Nov. 22

Jonny Whiteside

Eccentric neo-soul pioneer Macy Gray will be taking the stage at the Canyon Club on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Gray has always managed things her way, following a skewed, shadowy, glorious and catastrophic path. From multi-platinum triumphs to expectation-deflating misfires, self-destructive lows and enthralling artistic highs, Gray has always been one of the most compelling and unpredictable figures in contemporary pop culture.

Six feet tall and possessing a marvelously eerie, smokey-toned set of pipes, Gray was something of an anomaly in the musical universe where the prevailing model for female song stylists were the hyper-active vocal acrobatics of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. With 1999 debut and triple platinum international smash “On How Life Is,” Gray’s vibrant, funky originality and steam-heated R&B-soul approach provided a very refreshing alternative to the Houston-Carey overkill, profoundly resonated with the public and also significantly anticipated and cleared the way for more old school inspired songstresses like Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones.

World-wide fame, accolades and awards proved both rewarding and challenging, and Gray’s penchant for mis-steps, substance abuse, romantic woes, a raft of idiosyncrasies (she became notorious for refusing to meet the gaze of any interviewer, or even look at them at all), uneven live performances and bizarre wardrobe choices all built into to a reputation for being disruptive and unreliable, if not flat out crazy. Part of it was naturally occurring, another part shrewd manipulation of her public image. Either way, when third album “The Trouble with Being Myself” proved an underwhelming success, she split with Sony Records only to discover that landing another recording contract was exceedingly difficult.

Despite all this, Gray has managed to prevail, churning out numerous impressive musical and acting projects and collaborations, and this re-emergence to showcase tunes from latest album “The Way” is certain to be rewarding. The new disc is a characteristically offbeat, hypnotic and evocative set of statements on life, love and its infinite verisimilitudes, and Gray’s explorations of her colorful inner-world are consistently fascinating.  This overdue Canyon date is her first local show in quite a spell, ending a drought that’s lasted far too long and, hopefully, signaling the start of even greater triumphs yet to come.

Macy Gray will be performing at the Canyon Club, on Nov. 22.