Moses Sumney has long resisted the term R&B as a descriptor of his music. As a singer, Sumney certainly draws inspiration from soul and gospel traditions. As a songwriter, though, Sumney has as much to do with different forms of free-floating, nebulous art-rock. Sumney is the sort of artist who can’t easily be categorized; he’s as much Radiohead as he is Maxwell. Last night, though, Sumney played an R&B-centric awards show and just rocked it.

Last night, BET aired its annual Soul Train Awards, a show that honors both new and traditional forms of R&B. (Summer Walker won Album Of The Year at least night’s show, and Chris Brown and Young Thug took Song Of The Year.) Sumney was part of a slate of performers that included Brandy, Monica, Smokey Robinson, Charlie Wilson, Jazmine Sullivan, Snoh Alegra, H.E.R., and Ella Mai. Sumney sang “Bless Me,” one of the songs from his expansive 2020 double album græ.

Sumney has always been a head-spinning live performer, and he put a whole lot of presence and thought into his version of “Bless Me.” On album, the song is a spare hymn, but Sumney sang it with a live band who did more of a traditional soul arrangement. He also dressed in a sort of sparkly all-black superhero outfit that I’m at a loss to describe, and he hit some unbelievable notes. Watch it below.

grae is out now on Jagjaguwar.