Concert Review: Beyonce Did It Big For the Ladies

Last night I was once again part of one of Houston’s oldest traditions… I attended the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Now, those of you who aren’t from H-town or haven’t lived here that long are probably saying to yourself “Rodeo? Why would you want to go to the rodeo?” Well, I’m about to educate y’all. Not only is this a big fundraiser, real cowboy competin’, rope ‘em & ride ‘em competition, but they also have a concert every night. Over the years I have seen just about everyone including Brian McKnight, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, Smokey Robinson & Boyz II Men. The rodeo has brought in an endless number of Grammy award winning artists of all genres over the past 50 years. Gotta luv it!

This was my 2nd time seeing Beyonce perform at the rodeo, my 3rd seeing her solo, & my 5th time if you count Destiny’s Child. So, I expected nothing but the best from her. And I’m happy to say she didn’t disappoint. The wardrobe color for the night was white which looked great. But there was one near wardrobe malfunction. There was a fan at the front of the stage that was there so her hair (well, whoever’s hair she had sewn onto her head) could blow in the wind. Well, Ms. Knowles almost had a Marilyn Monroe moment, but caught her dress just in time – lol.

The tightest & funniest part of the night was when Beyonce performed “Cater to You”. They actually pulled someone out of the audience to go on stage for her to serenade. Now, usually at a concert when someone does this they have a little stool or folding chair for them to sit on, but they stepped it up this time. They had a plush recliner instead! All this dude needed was a beer & a big screen TV & he would have been set – lol. He looked a little nervous, but it turns out he had to be on his best behavior. He was there with his wife. Anyway, Beyonce starts singing & mixed in a little “Bump ‘N Grind Remix” with the part that says “Don’t front. You know about the rodeo show.” That was so tight!

The thing that I loved the most about the concert was that it was all about the ladies (with the exception of “Cater to You” – lol). As I’m sure you’ve all seen in her video, she has an all-female band. (It wasn’t just for show in the video!) Y’all have gotta sit back & appreciate this because this is extremely rare! And just the gamut of songs by her & Destiny’s Child makes any woman want to jump out of her seat & scream “You go girl!”... “Ring the Alarm”, “Me Myself & I”, “Bug a Boo”, “Bills, Bills, Bills”, “Girl”, “Jumpin, Jumpin”, “Independent Women”, “Say My Name”... And the song of the night was definitely “Irreplaceable”. Empowering doesn’t even begin to describe seeing over 70,000 people in Reliant Stadium doing “to tha left, to tha left” in unison! (BTW: Kristle & I discovered that it is pretty easy to insert people’s names into the song. All you have to do is insert that wack boy’s name before that phrase & you’ve got it! LoL)

I wouldn’t give this show anything less than 2 thumbs up. Beyonce sounded fantastic & looked flawless as usual. The show was well put together. She did just about every song that I could think of all the way back to ’97 except “Listen”. She did a little screwed up version of “Bug a Boo” to rep that H, & even had Slim Thug & Bun B slide in to perform “Check on It” with her. This is the best performance I’ve seen by her yet.

What Happened to Tevin Campbell?

Now here's another person I know we have been wondering about. It seems like he just fell off the face of the earth after his last album flopped in the late 90's. But I don't want to talk about that. I want to reminisce about the good days for a minute.

Let's take it back to '91 and his first album T.E.V.I.N..... Yeah, you remember that jam "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do". And then in 1993 he released one of the best R&B albums of the 90's, I'm Ready. It seems like that record just had hit after hit. "I'm Ready", "Always in My Heart", "SHHH" and my personal favorite "Can We Talk". Man! This is making me want to run out to Best Buy right now and pick that up!

Since then, Tevin's released two more albums that paled in comparison to his previous double platinum success. And other mentions of him in the media were related to his run ins with the law and rumor mills. Despite that, it appears that he will be trying to do it big in '07 by making a comeback. He's been in the studio since last year working with an A-list roster of producers including Scott Storch, Krucial Keys, Rodney Jerkins and Teddy Riley.

Concert Review: Jamie Foxx is Unpredictable

Last week I went to the Jamie Foxx concert and his show was truly "unpredictable". The show started off with comedian Speedy's stand-up routine. It took a little while for him to get warmed up, but you couldn’t help but laugh when he started talking about people in the audience who were trying to find their seats. And he just kept on talking about this one guy and his too small (aka smedium – no that’s not a typo) shirt.

After that, Jamie came out and did a good 30 or 40 minutes of stand up saying “I’m an Oscar winner but I’m ghetto.” It was pretty funny. One joke he told I was laughing so hard there were tears coming out of my eyes! Good stuff. There was only one thing that started getting a little annoying. He periodically would have the DJ play Jim Jones’ “We Fly High” to get a little crowd participation. Don’t get me wrong. This was tight because that song is a hot club track. It just got a little old after the 50th time he did it.

Then Jaime did a quick wardrobe change before he started singing. He sounds really good live which, as I’ve said before, everyone cannot pull off. This concert was truly like nothing I’ve been to before since he is a singer and a comedian. It was funny because he would sing something that sounds incredible but he’d crack jokes at the same time. For example, the band was doing a little break down and Jamie starts free styling and singing about how he met this girl at Pappadeaux’s who was eating shrimp. His voice sounded great but you couldn’t help but laugh at the comedy.

So, he did a few songs off the album. The only thing that bothered me was the back up dancers. For part of the set they looked like straight up strippers (with poles and all). But, I guess Jaime had to do something for the fellas since the rest of the show was for the ladies. Then he did his Ray Charles bit with wardrobe, grand piano and all. The resemblance to the real genius is amazing, but I guess that’s why he won the Oscar!

He performed almost his entire album but I definitely had my two favorite songs of the night. Now, my favorite song on the album hands down is “Do What it Do”. He also did a slow and very mellow version of “Storm (Forecast)”. This rendition was so beautiful it was way better than the album recording! As expected, he did his biggest hit to date, “Unpredictable”, to close out the show. But I don’t want to talk about the performance of the song. I want to talk about the audience.

Read carefully because this is an important lesson for all concert goers: DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL THEY PERFORM THEIR BIGGEST HIT! Performers always act like their show is over, leave the stage and then come back to sing that one song everyone is waiting to hear. Now granted, some people leave because they are trying to avoid that post-concert gridlock in the parking lot. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a concert when this has happened and people are scrambling to get back to their seats when they realize the concert isn’t over.

Overall I was very impressed with how the show flowed. There were only brief breaks for Jaime to make his wardrobe changes. I've talked to a few people that said that he wasn't all that when he performed at Essence Festival last year. And some of those people who went also attended last week's concert and said it was way better. So, for those of you who decided not to go this year based on Essence, you missed out! It was great to have this Texas boy back home!

What Happened to Maxwell?

I'm sure a lot of you have asked yourself this question at least once or twice in the past 5 or 6 years. Well, I'm happy to report that I have an answer for you.

Maxwell's smooth and sexy neo-soul sound has been greatly missed. He's released some unforgetable tracks like "This Woman's Work" and "Fortunate" that are a must if you're putting together any slow jams mix CD. These songs have definitely left his fans wanting more.

According to his record label, Columbia, we will be hearing plenty from Maxwell in the near future. His next project, Black Summer's Night, will be released as a trilogy with one release per year beginning in '07. Billboard reported that his album would be released this month, but it has yet to be confirmed.

However, you can find a little bit of a preview on Maxwell's MySpace page. You can't hear the first single in its entirety yet. Although he's left a voice blog on the page apologizing for the delay, you can still hear the new music in the background. Click here to listen to the message and check out his new look.

Music's Biggest Night '07

OK, I know it’s been a minute since I’ve posted an entry. So I thought what better way to make a comeback than for music’s biggest night of the year… The Grammys!! This year’s show was everything I expected and more. It was a jam packed three and half hours of pure entertainment. There was so much that there is no way I can recap everything, so I’d like to give out my own awards for the night…

Hot Mess Performance: Chris Brown
Now wait a minute before you get your panties in a wad. Chris Brown is an incredible performer and a bright star in the future of hip hop and R&B. And as usual, he put on a show at the Grammys. He performed “Run It” which was great. But he was dancing so much that he couldn’t sing. I can count the number of notes that he sang during the performance on one hand. If this had been “Dancelife” or “So You Think You Can Dance?” it would have been great. But this is an event that honors and showcases vocal performances. Apparently Chris didn’t get the memo.

Best Vocal Performance: Mary J. Blige
Her royal highness, the one and only queen of hip hop and R&B already had everyone on the edge of their seats waiting to see which of her 8 nominations she would win. But when she took that stage she had everyone’s undivided attention. Looking regal in her gown, and backed by an orchestra, she did a beautiful yet powerful rendition of “Be Without You”. And any of you who have ever seen Mary perform live know that that she puts her all into it and leaves it all out there on stage. Kudos to you, Mary!!!

Overall Hot Mess: Ike Turner
First thing I thought when I saw this: "What in the hell did he win an award for?" I didn’t even know he was still in the bizz. He won for Best Traditional Blues Album. Who'd have thought he'd win his 2nd Grammy 35 years after winning for Proud Mary?

Oddest Presenter Match Up: Al Gore and Queen Latifah
Not that I have a problem with either of them, but this was an extremely odd choice to have them team up to present the Best Rock Group award. I mean, it’s obvious that Al has been trying to “get in where he fits in” because this isn’t the first time we’ve seen him at something like this. But come on. Al Gore giving an award to the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Who ever thought that would happen? And then Latifah had already participated in the show earlier as a presenter. Did they run out of presenters and have to recycle?

Coolest Moment of the Night: JT's Performance with the "My Grammy Moment" Winner
How cool is it to have America choose you to perform with Justin Timberlake and T.I.?!!!! I would have totally freaked out if that had been me! Big congrats to Houston’s very own diva, Robin Troup, for winning. I’m sure we’ll be seeing great things from her in the future.

What in the world is she wearing?!: Tie between Imogen Heap and Hillary Duff

What on earth were they thinking?! Their stylists need to be fired.

Best Dressed: Fergie

Badgley Mishka did the dang thing with this creation! Now this design is definitely Fergalicious!

I Have Mixed Emotions About Them: The Dixie Chicks
Big shout out to Texas’ own chart topping trio for their accolades. After all of the controversy over Natalie’s statement, the Chicks have been struggling with their public reputation. I think it’s awesome that “Not Ready to Make Nice” which was their response to all of the ridicule is what has put them back on the map. However, I’m still in shock that they won Best Album of the Year. I totally didn’t see that one coming. Personally, I think that Justin Timberlake or John Mayer should have won. What do you think?

Click here to see a full list of the winners

Crack is Wack and So is My Marriage

OK, I don't think that's an exact quote, but I'm sure that's what Whitney Houston is thinking. If you haven't heard already that she has separated from hubby Bobby Brown, then you've probably been living under a rock for the past month. Yes, the now infamous couple is calling it quits. Are any of you surprised? I must say that I am. Now, don't get me wrong, it definitely seems that Bobby has brought out the worst in Whitney over the years. However, if that's how she really is and she had just been covering it up at the beginning of her career, then I think the two of them deserve each other.

Bobby and Whitney's marital woes seem to be continuing with what I call "the curse of the reality show marriage". It's crazy how reality shows can be at two totally different ends of the spectrum. For example, on MTV's The Real World, 7 strangers are picked to live together for a few months. And more often than not, they end up becoming friends (and in a few cases spouses) for life. But when celebrity couples who have known each other for a long time get their reality show, it seems like it's only a matter of time before they're fighting it out Divorce Court style.

Case in point:

Travis Barker, formerly of rock group Blink 182 and former Miss USA, Shanna Moakler
Nick Lachey, now a solo artist but formerly a member of 98 Degrees and singer turned actress Jessica Simpson
Dave Navarro, formerly of rock bands Jane's Addiction and The Red Hot Chili Peppers and former Baywatch babe Carmen Electra
I used to think these couples were so cute together! (especially Shanna and Travis) But I must say that I always thought that Nick deserved better. She really didn't appreciate what a quality guy he is. Anyway..... for all of you celebrity couples that are considering doing a reality TV show... JUST SAY NO!

Men, Money & Gold Diggers

I recently saw a play called Men, Money & Gold Diggers by Je’Caryous Johnson. Je’Caryous is one half of the I’m Ready Productions company that is known not only for adapting best selling books by authors like Eric Jerome Dickey and Michael Baisden into stage productions, but also recruiting an all-star cast. The last play that I went to see, Cheaters, based on Dickey’s novel, starred my all-time favorite Brian McKnight. And this play didn’t disappoint either.

Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m putting this on my music blog. Although the play was INCREDIBLE, I thought I’d take this opportunity to highlight the musicians that are part of the cast.

The first is Chico Benymon. Now you’re probably saying to yourself “He’s not a musician. He’s an actor famous for his role on UPN’s Half & Half.” Well, actually, he’s both. I could tell that Chico felt right at home playing his role in the play as an aspiring musical artist. For those of you who don’t know, in addition to his acting career, Benymon is also a member of the R&B group Tra-Knox. They were discovered by Will Smith, and you’ve probably heard them on the soundtracks for Men in Black and on some of Will’s work.

Someone else that was announced as part of the cast was Ginuine. So, like many of the other ladies (and probably a few men too) I was looking forward to seeing him. Well to my surprise, he didn’t do any acting in the play. All he did was come out and sing "In Those Jeans" at the end of the show. I’m still trying to figure that one out... I know he can’t be that hard up that he has to travel with the play to sing one song a night…

And last but not least is Tank. Yes, it’s true. He hasn’t fallen of the face of the Earth. Ironically, I recently found out that Tank actually got his start in the business singing backup for Ginuine and Aaliyah. He then became popular with a couple of singles of his own, including “Maybe I Deserve” five or six years ago. I must say that this is a multi-talented man. He can sing, he can act, and he produces. Some of the artists that he’s worked with include Jamie Foxx, Monica, and Marques Houston.

The entire cast in this play was great, and I definitely recommend that everyone check it out if it's coming to a city near them!

Music News 10-9-06

• Terrence Howard is teaming up with the Hustle & Flow director to star in a movie bio about Charley Pride. Pride, who had previously been in the Army and played in the Negro Leagues, became a country music star between 1966 and 1984. 51 of 54 singles that he released reached the country chart’s top ten.
• An investigation is currently underway to find out who leaked a song from Jay-Z’s comeback album on the internet. The single “Show Me What You Got” will appear on the album titled “Kingdom Come” which is slated to hit stores on November 21st.
• Brooke Hogan (yes, daughter of The Hulk) will be releasing her debut album entitled “Undiscovered” on Scott Storch’s record label SoBe Entertainment. Storch and his business partner have said that they want to make Brooke their flagship artist. And it appears they have a lot to work with between her looks and musical ability. Not only does she have a great voice, but she also plays the keyboard and guitar. You may have heard her first single “About Us” feat. Houston’s own Paul Wall on the radio. I must admit I like this song! I’m not sure what kind of longevity she’ll have (especially considering that her hype is mainly due to the family’s reality show on VH1 and her dad’s celebrity) but I really wish the best for her.
• Gospel/R&B singing duo Mary Mary will be releasing their holiday album “A Mary, Mary Christmas” on October 10th
• Aerosmith’s greatest hits album entitled “Devil’s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith” will be released on October 17th

Concert Review: Two Thumbs Up for Mimi

Last week I attend Mariah Carey’s “Adventures of Mimi Tour” and had a fabulous time. As I entered the Houston Toyota Center, I quickly realized what I diverse fan base Mariah has. There were people of all ages and races in attendance. And then I thought about it… When she first started her career, Carey’s sound was definitely in the adult R&B category and her image was cute but conservative. So, there were a lot of older couples there. And then there were people who are closer to my age who heard her earlier work, but really jumped on the bandwagon when the Daydream album came out. And then she was exposed to a whole new audience when her 1st post divorce album, Butterfly, included not only beautiful ballads but also great collabs with hip hop heavy hitters. We’ll quickly pass over her “slump” which brings us to the comeback of the decade, The Emancipation of Mimi. Mariah’s back on the scene in a big way and now has the attention of a whole new teeny-bopper & pre-teen crowd.

Now, I can’t write the entry without talking about the “hot mess moments” of the night… First stop was at the concession stand. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, I asked for a bottle of water and the lady said, “Okay, but I just want to let you know that I’ll have to pour your water into a glass.” Excuse me? Are you serious? Apparently she was and this was something per Mimi’s request. I guess in the past she’s had bottles thrown at her. But really, what are the chances of that happening now? I mean, really! Who would pay $150 for a floor seat ticket so they could throw a bottle at her? And if someone really wanted to throw something, they wouldn’t have to buy a bottle of water to do it. On another note, many people know that I think there’s virtually no worse fashion crime than wearing sunglasses inside at night time (unless you’re a celebrity being attacked by paparazzi). Well, I stand correct. I saw a couple at the concert who were both wearing their shades inside.

So, we get to our seats and Busta Rymes comes out. I knew he was going to put on a great show because I’ve seen him before, but I didn’t expect one of my hot mess moments to come from him. He didn’t censor himself one bit. Which is fine for a rap concert, but as I mentioned before, there were ALL kinds of people there to see MC. I can’t count how many parents had brought their little kids. And maybe it wouldn’t have been that bad with a word here and a word there, but 1 word was spelled out on the big screen and he performed the uncensored version of “The Whisper Song”. I think Busta could have censored himself a little bit, but on the other hand it’s the parents’ bad too. They should have found out about the opening act if they didn’t know. Because if they had, they might have just shown up late for the concert.

But Busta got the crowd hyped and was a great opener. Then it was time for Ms. Carey’s performance. She appeared on her beautiful set singing “It’s Like That” and I’m sitting there wondering where the rest of her clothes are. Her costume was basically a sequined 2 piece swimsuit. Which I guess wouldn't have been too bad, but the floor-length see-through black “nighty” robe that she wore with it definitely gave it a lingerie feel. A little much if you ask me. But her 4 other costume changes were much more what I expected.

Besides her wardrobe, I must say that Mariah’s vocals were on point that night. My understanding is that she isn’t necessarily able to hit all of those high notes every day that she wakes up. Lucky for us, she was able to hit them several times during the performance. She sang all of her great hits, including the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” that was performed as a duet on MTV Unplugged. Trey Lorenz who originally performed it with her is still one of her back up singers. So it was a real treat to see them perform together. (He even did a few songs during 1 of her wardrobe changes and informed us that his solo album is dropping on September 19th.)

Being an avid concert-goer, I’ve learned that part of a good show is having smooth transitions. There’s nothing more awkward feeling at a concert than everyone staring at the empty stage for 10 minutes while the singer is changing their costume. Well, they had it so crunk while Mariah was off stage, you forget for a couple of minutes that you were at the concert to see her. Why you ask? Those “breaks” not only included a performance by Trey, but the world famous DJ Clue was there spinning all of the hottest club jams. And to everyone’s surprise, including Mariah’s, Mike Jones took the stage for an impromptu performance!

At the end of the show, Mariah sang her very moving “take it to church” song from her latest album, “Fly Like A Bird” and bid everyone good night. And then I said to myself “Wait a minute. Did she sing We Belong Together? No, she didn’t.” People are already starting to make their way to the exits, but being the true fan that I am, I knew she wasn’t done. I turned to Kristle and said “As much as I paid for this ticket, she’s gonna be singing that song tonight if it’s in front of the entire audience or just a private performance for me.” LoL. And as if on queue, she came back out and everyone was scrambling to get back to their seats. It was great show and I’d definitely see her again!

Music News 9-8-06

I Want to Sex U Up: Tamyra Gray, 27, of American Idol fame, recently wed 36 year old Sam Watters in Italy. Now you might be asking why her hubby looks so familiar… Sam was a member of the 90s R&B group Color Me Badd. I was curious myself to hear what he’s been up to since then. He has been working as a writer and music producer. Actually, he co-wrote Jessica Simpson’s new pop single “Public Affair”.

More AI News:

• Mario Vasquez, who is known for “mysteriously” dropping out of the American Idol competition after making the finals, will be releasing his debut album on Arista on September 26. Sources say that producer Scott Storch and Daddy Yankee worked on his project. His first single, “Gallery” (written by Ne-Yo), is already a favorite on the charts.
• The most recent AI winner, Taylor Hicks, is already working on his album despite the fact he is currently touring with the other finalists. Hicks says that his sound will be soulful with a mix of old school R&B and new wave edge. (whatever that means) His target release is around Christmas ’06. He’s being pretty tight-lipped on a few things, but he has mentioned that he’s received music from Michael McDonald and John Mayer.
  
  Diddy is going to be a daddy again, and again: Yes, he and his long time girlfriend Kim Porter recently announced that they are expecting twins! The couple already has a son Christian, age 8, and Diddy has a 12 year old son named Justin from a previous relationship.
  
  Mike who?: Mike Jones has just started working on his new project, a concurrent album and film both titled “American Dream”. The film is supposed to tell his life story of rising from the streets and finding his way through music. (Haven’t Eminem, 50 Cent and Fantasia already done that?) Producers include Gregory Anderson from ‘Trois’ and Keith Paschall of Rap City.
  
  Old School: Lionel Richie is preparing to begin his “Coming Home Tour” in early October. Pre-sale tickets will benefit United Way. His new song “I Call It Love” has already hit #1 on the Adult R&B Charts. His album will be released on September 12 with Island Def Jam. On this project,he has collaborated with Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, and Rapael Saadiq in hopes of “building a bridge between generations” with his new music. From hearing the first single and seeing the video…. I’d have to say mission accomplished.