Jessica 6 is the new project from Hercules & Love Affairs Nomi Cruz, the trans performing artist whose diva moan and towering presence were defining features of both the bands fine disco-house debut and their sporadic live shows. The name brings to mind both Princes once seemingly never-ending supply of assembly-lined pop protégés (Vanity 6, Apollonia 6) and Spike Lees Girl 6, a comedy film about a phone sex worker (with score by Prince, coincidentally). Their music recalls classic house and the moodier end of 80s R&B, from the bubbling, bass pumping White Horse and the sleek Fun Girl to the slow disco strut of Good to Go and the (rather plodding) torch song Not Anymore, with Cruz distinctively melancholy voice taking center stage. Theyre at their best with the uptempo numbers, which they emphasize with a full band live. With Jefferey Jurusalem, SPORTS, NARK. ERIC GRANDY
Wed., July 6, 8 p.m., 2011
