BADBADNOTGOOD & Baby Rose
Masonic Cathedral Theatre
Detroit
May 13, 2025
This was, by far, one of the darkest and psychedelic shows I’ve ever seen. Literally -- the theatre was dark and hot and sweaty. A projectionist used three projectors to create a flower-centric, visual acid trip of spinning, overlapping graphics that washed over BADBADNOTGOOD’s faces and instruments, making me feel like I was transported somewhere in the late 1960s.
It might’ve been the best part of the show, to lose the identity of the musicians in favor of an overarching aesthetic designed to define the night.
BADBADNOTGOOD hails from Toronto, a quick four-hour trek from Detroit even though they were on a much larger tour of the entire United States.
For 15 years, they’ve built a reputation as a rock-solid trio that can expand and contract via members, via soundscapes, via whatever. They work with everyone from fellow Canadian beat master Kaytranada to West Coast rap legend Snoop Dogg.
You could safely couch their sound inside of “alternative jazz,” which recently became a new category at the Grammys. (Meshell Ndegeocello has won both years its existed..
Think of it as obvious jazz elements (usually some brass or a woodwind) mixed alongside R&B, hip-hop, indie rock and other elements.
BADBADNOTGOOD have buttered their bread this way for years and, on their albums, including last year’s “Mid Spiral,” they nail it.
But I’ll leave it to a friend who summed it up this way as we walked out of the gorgeous Cathedral Theatre inside the Masonic Temple: “So, is that more jazz or is it more Phish?”
I’ve heard nothing but praise for BADBADNOTGOOD live shows. And there’s no denying the talent and musicality presented. But without a strong vocal element (most if not all of their solo material is instrumental), you can find yourself lost in the visuals in the way boredom will have you staring out of a window into nothing, hearing nothing because it’s all blending together.
That’s where the singer Baby Rose saved the show. Unlike BADBADNOTGOOD, she’s not Canadian but she is signed to the conglomerate label Secretly Canadian. I first heard of her about eight years ago, when she gained attention for singing over J Dilla beats on SoundCloud. Speaking of Detroit connections, major props to BADBADNOTGOOD for bringing local stalwarts Dez Andres and Ian Fink to perform alongside them for a couple of numbers.
But back to Baby Rose, the star of the show. She’s very clearly in the neo-soul world of R&B singers. Her voice can easily draw giants of jazz comparisons, like to Sarah Vaughn or Ella Fitzgerald, but there’s distinctly an edge there -- a raspiness, a desperation -- that reminds me of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She’s got some of that dominant energy on stage, too.
I loved the way Baby Rose and BADBADNOTGOOD wove the sets together, with BADBADNOTGOOD taking stints performing instrumental jam sessions before bringing out Baby Rose and rotating back and bringing her back again. It kept the crowd excited.
The two put out a wonderful record together last year called “Slow Burn,” which is still in heavy rotation for me. So, it was no wonder that cuts from that album, like “Caroline” and “It’s Alright,” stole the show for me, showing off BADBADNOTGOOD’s ability to bring a retro-soul throwback sound to surround Baby Rose’s voice. A gentle, soulful cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide” almost brought me to tears!
Did the vast majority of the audience walk away blown away by this show, whether it be the visuals, the presentation or the music? Absolutely.
Am I being a little picky about the whole thing? Perhaps.
But while BADBADNOTGOOD may be exciting for some on their own, it was Baby Rose who was the star of the show, bringing it all together with her stage presence, heartfelt delivery and ability to elevate BADBADNOTGOOD away from their worst jam band instincts.
