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The kid’s got talent.

Roméo Testa’s got soul. He sounds like a bluesy, soulful Bruno Mars, but with style of a kid that you would find at your local high school. Which is probably because he’s 19 years old. Well, technically 20; he just turned 20.

He approaches the front of the stage with a beanie and a zip up hoodie. With sunken poise of a rapper, the guy looks like he’s gonna stand up and start free-styling. But then he whips out a guitar, and his pianist sits next to him and boom. He hits you with it. A voice that silenced the entire club, which was busy for a Tuesday night, hell even for a Friday night.

The kid’s got talent. He has a lot of control over his voice, not to mention a surprising range to boast about, even though he doesn’t. His humility adds to an overall, I’m going to call it, steez that Roméo Testa has about him. It’s subtle, but it’s so cool to watch.

Roméo Testa gives his performance without any sense of spectacle or boastful showmanship. He just plays his songs, does work, and it’s enough to stop the room. He doesn’t add a lot of embellishment like some singers with his kind of skill would. He holds out his longer notes only for as long as he needs to, and then shys away from the mic. Rather than trying to blow the socks off the people in the back of the room, he backs off so that his volume is appropriate. It’s a very mature thing to do, and of course it makes the song sound a lot better. Plus, he’s super stylish when he does it. Thus, that steez I was talking about.

That all being said, Roméo Testa needs more material. And he needs more material that better showcases finer points of his voice. He’ll find his groove, but that’s the biggest hole in his show right now. That, and some might disagree, but the cover of Wonder Wall needs to be dropped from the set immediately, like yesterday.

Everyone has already covered Wonder Wall and no one’s version is better than the original. It’s an easy number because the song’s simple and it’s a crowd pleaser when they’re drunk enough. But that’s why every inexperienced musician does it. And so, Roméo Testa, I implore you, be better than that. Cover something different if you’ve gotta cover something. Cover a song that they may not have heard of before. But then again, what do I know?

Set List

“With You”
“Still Misunderstood”
“I’m So Down”
“Wish Me Well”
“Wonderwall” (Oasis cover)
“Light It Up”
“Hardest Part”

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