by vivrant thang on feeding the music jones

This review is LONG overdue. I attended this show over SuperBowl weekend but some technical difficulties kept me from uploading the video…namely that I have lost 95% of the 150 or so videos I have posted on my You Tube channel. I think I’m still in shock.  Please pray for me.

Seriously.

Moving on.

It’s nothing but a thing for me to hop in the car and hit the road for a good show. My motto is “have good music, will travel.” So when I heard British soul singer Omar was going to be in the States, within driving distance, I was there!

I first experienced Omar in Philly back in 2006. What an introduction to his music! He turned World Cafe Live out with quite a high energy performance. I pledged to collect his music and catch him live whenever I could. Having Fertile Ground on the ticket was icing on the cake. I’ve never seen them perform outside of the DC Metro area.

Another reason I like attending shows outside of DC is because our music venues leave a lot to be desired. Almost every city I’ve traveled to for a show has put the 930 Club and Black Cat to shame. The Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh was no exception. It was very spacious with levels of staggered standing/sitting room. There was plenty of floor space in front of the large stage for those that wanted to get up close and personal. DC, you’ve got to do better.

On to the show. This will be briefer than my normal review because I’m cutting the carbs this week and am already meaner than Mister in Color Purple.

Yazarah (as Purple St James) opened the show. I was a little ambivalent about her performance because the last time I saw her a couple of years ago or so, I was not impressed. Her performance was all over the place. However when she took the stage in Raleigh, looking as classy as she want to be, I knew Miss Yazarah had made some changes. She looked great and sounded even better – particularly on her slower songs.

Blackstar

She gets a little operatic on Same Page

I really like the changes Yazarah has made in her show. She’s grown as an artist since I last saw her and the crowd was very appreciative. She definitely has a new fan here.

Fertile Ground was up next and they truly turned Raleigh out. I’m not sure how many people had heard of them down there. A couple of years ago, my BFF from Charlotte was in town and attended a show with me. She hadn’t heard of them and became an instant fan. It’s hard not to be mesmerized by the lovely Navasha Daya and the way she performs, bringing the songs to life.

Live in the Light
(Sorry for the sea sickness. I must upgrade my camera to one where I can shake my moneymaker while filming)

On Homage (Yesterday),they took it back to 1997 when it was just Navasha, her husband, James, and the drummer. I’ve never seen James, feel it like this. I don’t think this video truly captured it.

 

By this time, the crowd was warmed up and more than ready for Omar to take the stage. For those that are late to the party, he’s been in the game for more than 15 years. He counts Stevie Wonder as one of his fans, even getting the 8th Wonder of the World to join him on “Feeling You,” from his 2006 release, Sing If You Want It.

This performance was definitely more low-key than the one in Philly, but he still sounded great.

Here are some of my favorite songs:

Ghana Emotion 

Nothing Like This

It’s So
(my favorite song from Sing If You Want It – as you’ll be able to tell)

Cover of William Devaughn’s
“Be Thankful For What You Got”

Overall,  definitely worth the trip, particularly since Omar’s tour schedule doesn’t bring him back in the States anytime soon.

Speaking of London, how I wish I could just jet over to Jazz Cafe. Some of their upcoming shows are ridiculous. Unfortunately, my musical adventures don’t take me quite that far…yet.

Get into these artists:

Omar
Myspace | Official site

Fertile Ground
Myspace | Official site

Yazarah
Myspace