Milwaukee rapper Melissa Czarnik records the type of albums that Lauryn Hill might if Lauryn Hill were still capable of making albums: deeply personal treatises on politics and the state of hip-hop, with chilled-out, spoken-word undertones. Her 2010 sophomore album, Raspberry Jesus features collaborations with gospel-music director Maurice Cotton, members of Kings Go Forth and the Eric Mire Band, the five-piece hip-hop/soul group that will back her at tonight's performance and serve as tonight's openers.
Melissa Czarnik w/ The Eric Mire Band
Tonight @ Highbury Pub, 9 p.m.
