Review: Luke Wade at Concerts in the Garden

The Fort Worth Symphony’s Concerts in Garden Series wrapped up the penultimate weekend of its 25th anniversary season with a concert by soulful crooner Luke Wade on Sunday night in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

The Dublin-born Wade, who has called Fort Worth home in recent years, continues to ride the success of his appearances on the NBC talent competition, The Voice, last year.

The music: On one of the few nights in the series that did not include the symphony players, Wade, backed by his five-piece band, No Civilians, eased through a set dominated by soulful ballads about the difficulties of finding and staying in love. His voice often called to mind one of the many outstanding vocalists and bands out there now (ranging from Bruno Mars to Of Monsters and Men) but, ultimately, his is a unique sound.

On the whole, however, his self-written material was not as compelling as his vocals. Too many of the songs on his set list were slow to mid-tempo pop songs lacking distinctive personalities. For an outdoor gig such as this, he needed more rockers to inject some life into his presentation. Many times, and particularly on a couple of solo numbers, he sounded like a coffee house act trying to play a stadium. And he also needed to make better use of the few covers he performed. Those numbers were placed deep in the second half of his set, instead of being deployed early on to give the entire audience a chance to experience his outstanding voice on familiar ground.

The mood: Early in the show, Wade gave a shout out to family members seated near the stage. That section stayed with him through the concert, but the rest of the audience of about 1,300 never seemed to be fully engaged. Beyond the first several tables, conversations and phone use seldom let up.

Memorable moments: Wade’s takes on the classics Maybe I’m Amazed and Try a Little Tenderness were especially well rendered. And the bouncy, catchy Morning View was the best of Wade’s originals. The concert was also notable for the range of styles that Wade and his band sampled, which included soul, pop, country and reggae.

Fun fact: Wade is currently on a tour that will take him literally across the country between now and October. He will be playing venues in a number of large and small markets that include New York, Chicago and Sister, Ore., for the Sisters Folk Festival in September (in addition to stops in Stephenville, Tyler and Conroe).

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Review: Luke Wade at Concerts in the Garden."