Grade: A- | Genre: Modern Rock Summary: If you ever get the chance to see this talented man perform, make sure you have a ticket. Also, I'd make a point to do it sooner rather than later. The secret of Marc Broussard isn't going to be kept under wraps for much longer.

Marc Broussard descended on the Loft Thursday night in compelling fashion. Broussard, a black man trapped in the body of a white man, brought together his perfect blend of soul, funk, jazz and rock to release thumping jams and purring melodies. This rip roaring Cajun hails from the heartland of Louisiana and you can see the state's rich musical tradition has been absorbed in every pore of his body until it has become an inseparable part of his being.

Sarah Bareilles set the tone for the evening, in bold style, cracking the silence with her stunning voice and innocent charm. She received a rousing response from the audience as she tested the near limitless bounds of her vocal range. I managed to snag one of her CDs Careful Confessions. It's stamped with a 2003 date and sounds like she hadn't quite chiseled out her signature sound at this point. It was a glimpse of where she was to go, but there isn't much point taking the look once you've already seen where she ends up. Anyway, she wrapped things up with an interesting take on the 80's anthem "Take On Me". Covering A-ha? Really? Well I guess there is nowhere to go but up. She is certainly a solid opener and one to revisit as she continues to grow as an artist.

Though Will Hoge was the supporting act, nobody let the audience in on this. I think as many fans made their way to the Loft for Hoge's set as Marc Broussard's. As a quick survey, I popped my head up midway through Hoge's set (yeah I'm one of those tall guys everyone hates). The joint was stacked with people; yet once Broussard set onto the stage, the audience had dimmed considerably. Also, the crowd demographics seemed to shift as well. During Hoge, the place seemed hopped up on college kids; yet by the time we hit Broussard, it was more an even split between the college constituent and the over-30 crowd. I can see how Broussard would be a harder sell on the college circuit due to the complexity of his genre skipping vibe, making it harder to digest and fully appreciate.

I had seen Broussard once before, about two years ago. At the time, he was a virtual unknown, opening for Jay Clifford (of Jump) at Eddie's Attic, sharing the stage with Dave Barnes. That was an interesting evening because not only did he set the bar higher than Clifford could perform to (not an easy feat I might add), but Jay was also shown up by another dark horse he carried to the stage, Amanda Kapousouz (currently performing under the moniker Tin Cup Prophette). Going in to the show at the Loft, I wondered how this older, more refined Broussard would compare to when he was still filling the role of starving artist. It was two completely different feels. The first show in the listening room at Eddie's Attic, he was all acoustic so his amazing voice and guitar skills were unhindered from the different arms of sound created by a band. At the Loft, the band was a necessary component to play over the inevitable murmur of a large audience, and he really utilized the larger sound to bring a greater complexity to his songs, adding elements that wouldn't have been possible with just the acoustic guitar. Also, he has improved considerably as a songwriter since that first performance. His vocal talents really covered up a lot of flaws in his songwriting ability in those days, but with the release of Carencro, this gap seems to have been largely erased.

In the end, this was a truly great performance by a phenomenal talent. Would I have preferred him all acoustic in a smoke free, intimate listening room like Eddie's? That goes without saying, but I think the bus of those days has long passed as the word of Marc's talent has spread. You could tell the audience was feeding off his energy, only to give it back to him ten fold. This show was a blast, and if you weren't enjoying yourself you should probably take a trip down to your local morgue to check yourself in. If you ever get the chance to see this talented man perform, make sure you have a ticket. Also, I'd make a point to do it sooner rather than later. The secret of Marc Broussard isn't going to be kept under wraps for much longer. He could be launching arena tours before you know it so see him while you can still see him minus the aid of binoculars and huge projection screens.

If you haven't already, be sure to pick up Broussard's latest release, Carencro. Also if the above downloads really spark your interest in Broussard's heady live set, surf over to Live Archive to download a couple of his shows free of charge. These are all cleared by the artists which won't find you squirming under the gaze of the evil RIAA. These are stored in .SHN or .FLAC file format, which is a lossless compression (i.e. you hear every speck of sound right off the recording). Expect longer download times since file sizes are larger than standard mp3 files. You can download a plug-in for Winamp to play these new file types. Be sure to take some time to look around at what other artist's recordings are available. If you love live recordings, this site will quickly become your new home on the web.