R&B Live DC @ Posh 3-17-09 Recap

(Photo by Elite DC)

For those of you who missed it, there's another one next month. However, in the meantime I can give you a taste of what to expect - Beautiful people all different shades from the spectrum, varying lifestyles, all coming together to hear remarkable sounds in an upscale yet welcoming environment.

This was my second R&B Live event and instead of being so early this time that the house lights weren't even dimmed yet, I was so late I almost missed a performance by the vibrant Miss Alison Carney. I caught about three songs by the DC native and I truly enjoyed listening to her - she appeared to be enjoying herself on stage as well. Alison carried notes eloquently over the melodies produced by her five-piece, four man band. Believe it or not, my two favorites of the evening were "Giving In" and "You Said" (Slow love songs are hard for me to listen to but her voice makes it a lot easier). The vibe and chemistry amongst them was great, all of which I'm sure contributed to the non-stop energy put forth by Alison Carney. You also heard a little from J. Hill who had the spotlight put on him for a moment. Most would call him a backup singer, I call J. Hill the perfect complement to Alison's vocal gift. A beautifully calm spirit but still came hard with a strong finish to her performance. A definite addition to my growing "favorite R&B artist" list.

(Photo by Elite DC)

Following Alison's performance was the very familiar face, Terrence Cunningham. Another DMV native, I remember seeing Terrence quite often at Busboys and Poets on 14th St. (Haven't worked there since '07 and people still remember my face) yet never knew his dealings. I figured he was another Joe Schmoe patron. Well, I was wrong. First of all, anyone who uses a Rhodes piano as their instrument of choice is alright with me. Engagingly starting his set off with a rendition of Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?", Terrence got the crowd to participate through some call and response, snapping and clapping, all during his many moments in falsetto. With an electric piano and a guitar, he crooned the audience with old favorites and some new love notes as well. A couple songs into his performance he introduced another familiar face and DMV native, poet Jason Reynolds who talked about his love interest in a woman over a subtle backbeat of Tribe's "Electric Relaxation". His words were a little hard to hear (Posh sound people, lets work on that thanks) but I got the essence of his rhyme. I've really come to appreciate poetry over the last few months thanks to being put in rooms with ACTUAL poets. The mostly two man show (remember I said an electric piano and a guitar) was a dope way to end the evening, or get it started depending on who you talk to {Laughs to self}. Terrence's relaxed demeanor made it easy to connect with his ardent sound. Even though, he went a little heavy on the cover songs, I'm convinced that the boy can sang!