Two songs into his performance, I wrote in my notes, “Sounds like Smokey Robinson crossed with Sam Cooke.” Sure enough, after making a heartfelt dedication to his father, T-Pain launched into a sweet and earnest rendition of the Cooke classic, “A Change is Gonna Come.”

The song was a logical extension of T-Pain’s memorable Tiny Desk Concert—the most viewed episode ever—during which many listeners first realized that this man can really sing. Gone was the autotune that made him a platinum selling artist and the subject of critical ridicule in the mid-Aughts.

Last night’s concert took place in NPR’s main recording studio. The free show was announced on Wednesday and tickets were gone in one minute. Backed by two keyboardists, one of whom doubled on bass, and three backing vocalists, T-Pain opened with a tempered take on Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” “Officially Yours”, was a soul ballad that drew the aforementioned comparison to R&B legends and will appear on T-Pain’s forthcoming album, Stoicville: The Phoenix. This song, along with the Cooke cover, marked the highlights of the brief 45-minute set.

T-Pain rearranged a few of his hits for this intimate setting to round out the evening. Unfortunately, the transition from club hit to vintage soul often bordered on parody. “Bartender” drew laughs from the audience, which may have been intentional, but also was unfortunate given the talent on display. A stripped down take on “Tipsy,” with lyrics like “Take a sip of this, drink that, I’ma put you on my hood baby” laid bare the misogyny that rightfully drew criticism when it was first released.

One hopes that these missteps will prove to be artifacts from an artist that is turning over a new leaf. T-Pain has quite a bit to offer if he sticks with this new direction. While he might not have the same commercial success with this sound, there are those of us that would welcome the change.