SHOW REVIEWS - FEBRUARY 2005
February 14, 2005 - The Big Valentines' Day Show At Philly's First District Plaza
On Valentines Day, Paul Kyser brought his Big Show to Philly's First District Plaza. Folks, this was one hell of a show!
Opening the show was Blue Magic & they were excellent & put on one hell of a show. Blue Magic put on a dynamic & energetic show & these fellas can sing! They sang classics such as, "Spell", "Stop To Start", "What's Come Over Me" & "Sideshow". This was a great performance, by a great bunch of fellas & served as an appetizer for what was to come. For after them, came...
Ray, Goodman & Brown!!!
Ray, Goodman & Brown was excellent!!! I have yet to see these fellas put on an average show. On the numerous occasions on which I've seen them, they have been nothing short of excellent. They thrilled the crowd with the classics, "Love On A Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama", "Sunday" & "Sexy Mama".
After they finished their excellent set, Bloodstone stepped center stage & THEY...BROUGHT...THE...HOUSE...DOWN!!!! The fellas were great & Charles & Harry were in perfect voice. Charles' voice soared all over the venue & Harry worked out!! I'd never seen Bloodstone live before & man, I wasn't expecting what I heard.
Bloodstone came into Philly & absolutely wrecked the joint!!! If you should ever hear that Bloodstone is appearing in your town & you are a lover of Soul music, don't walk...RUN & get a ticket to see Bloodstone. Trust me, they won't disappoint!! These men STOLE what was an excellent show.
Aside from their sweet harmonies & the great vocals of Harry & Charles, what really drove the crowd out of their minds, was when Harry laid down on the stage & sang his heart out. That wrecked the house & that was a tough act to follow, A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW!!!
Closing the show was one of my long-time favorites...THE MIGHTY, MIGHTY DELLS!!!
The Dells were the only ones who could have followed Bloodstone that night & regained the attention of the crowd. The crowd was definitely ready for The Dells & as usual, they were great. They sang those songs that we all love so much, like, "There Is", "The Love We Had", "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation", "Always Together" & of course, "Stay In My Corner", on which Marvin Junior brought down the house once more, holding that note as NO one else does.
Their showmanship was on point & their voices were as timeless as ever. Johnny, Mickey & Vern sounded as sweet as sugar & were smooth as new spun silk, on top of satin! They sent everyone home happy & I swear that I saw the couples holding each other just a LITTLE bit closer as they left the show.
It was my absolute pleasure to have FINALLY met these men. Marvin is especially nice & Mickey is very fan friendly. We talked for awhile & he told me about their encounter with Philly International & those Bluenotes songs that were written with them in mind. All of the Dells were gracious & speaking with Marvin & Mickey will be something that I'll remember forever.
That made my decade!!! I hope to see them again very soon. I'd like to speak with them again! The Dells are nothing than Soul Music's "NATIONAL TREASURES"!
The Dells provided us with the perfect ending to one really, really big, big show, put on by Paul Kyser.
February 18, 2005 - Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter & Band At B. B. King's In N.Y.C.
On Friday, February 18th, Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter & Band performed 2 sets at New York's prestigious B. B. Kings' club & they did the thing, for sure!
Both shows were completely sold out & full of lovers of The Motown Sound! Jack played the vibes like a champ & gave those vibes a serious workout. Jack regaled the audience with stories of Motown days gone by & the audiences howled with laughter at Jack wry, straight-forward humorous tales. Jack really adds something extra to the show with his stories & the audience ate it up!
Jack came with more than just funny stories, he brought along the legendary organist, Joe Hunter. Joe played that organ as good as he ever did & thrilled the crowd with runs & glissandos, straight out of the textbook. Joe was getting down & loving it, right along with the rest of us.
Jack also has two young ladies who just don't sing....THOSE GALS CAN SANG!!! Misses Princetta Saray & Jacki Diamond are excellent singers, who bring it & bring it...STRONG! Princetta dazzled the crowd by launching into the song "Anything For You" then suddenly began singing the lyrics IN SPANISH!!! Ms Jacki Diamond was excellent & really shined while singing "I Heard It Though The Grapevine", which remained pretty true to Marvin's version.
By the way, Joe Hunter played a hell of a solo break on that organ. The lone male singer, Larry Johnson was excellent throughout & was extremely effective while singing, "I'm Losing You".
To the credit of all, they didn't attempt to emulate the vocal style of the great Motown artists. They took those classics & added their own spice & personalities to the songs. Had they done differently, it wouldn't have worked as well as it did.
Both shows were sold out & regardless of the circumstances surrounding this show, the audiences of both shows floated out of B. B. Kings on a MIGHTY cloud of joy!
Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter & Co. have one hell of a show & if you love that good old Motown sound, with a touch of new spices added, be sure to check out Jack & Joe when they come to your town!!!
February 19, 2005 - Paul Kyser & Urban Land Music Bring The Big Show To Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre
On Saturday, February 19th, Paul Kyser brought The Big Show to the beautiful Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, MD. This was an excellent show, filled with standout performances, EXCELLENT performances!
The Softones, opened the show & they still have their chops. Those brothers always could sing & I look forward to seeing them on stage again. The Softones are that rare exception in which the group still consists of ALL ITS ORIGINAL MEMBERS! That appeals to the purist in me & they are excellent.
Next up, were one of my New York favorites, Black Ivory. I ran into Russell & Stuart in the elevator & had one of those, "Aren't you???" type of moments. I asked if Leroy would be there & smiled when Russell replied yes. The fellas sang "You & I", "Don't Turn Around" & "Mainline". They sounded very good & I look forward to seeing them again soon.
Next up, was Reginald Haynes & The Escorts. The Escorts sang a few of their classic songs & shined on all of them. Reggie & The Escorts sounded great & it's unfortunate that they didn't have more stage time.
Next up, was Cliff Perkins & The Soul Generation & man, Cliff can still blow!!! The ladies are very easy on the eyes & they sound quite nice. I must admit that I was curious to see how they were going to manage to sound like the fellas did on the records. To their credit, they didn't try to do that, but gave the songs a little different twist, while remaining somewhat true to the original songs. Good trick & they pulled it off nicely.
After The Soul Generation, were The Persuaders & these brothers were the surprise of the show. They were like an upstart boxer, who comes along & whips much ass. They were kinda like the 1969 Mets, no one saw them coming either. But on this night, The Persuaders were dynamic.
The lead singer found a young lady & sang to her. Let me tell you, that was definitely the hot seat, as a few of the singers sang directly to her. I never got to see what she looked like, but the way that the fellas kept singing to her, she must have been the bomb!!!
Harold Melvin's Blue Notes came on & they sounded as good as ever. They too deserved more stage time, but, due to time constraints, had an abbreviated set.
Next on center stage was Ray, Goodman & Brown & they gave their usual professional & entertaining set. They ran through a litany of their library of classic soul. They were absolutely masterful, singing classics such as, "Sunday", "With You", "Lovely Way She Loves" "Look At Me (I'm In Love)", "Special Lady" & "Love On A Two Way Street" & Sexy Mama.
In between songs, Al thrilled the ladies with his stage patter & his patented basso profundo. The audience howled at their antics & clean, yet suggestive patter. Ray, Goodman & Brown brought the house down & to date, I've never seen them have anything less than a great performance.
Closing the show, was Bloodstone. As usual, Bloodstone KILLED IT!!!
Again, due to time constraints, their set was painfully brief, but quality will always win out over quantity. What they sang, was more than sufficient, though they left the crowd wanting more.
Harry Williams was brilliant, ranging from his strong tenor performance of "Outside Woman", to his soaring falsetto tenor, on the classic "We Go A Long Way Back". Charles McCormick used his silky smooth falsetto to great effect as always on the classic of Sweet Soul classics, "Natural High". He also slowed things down a bit & gave the crowd a thrill, by extending the song a bit & telling a little story about being in love in those days.
Bloodstone stole what was a great show & the enthusiastic applause, during & after the show was an indication that the crowd was thoroughly pleased. Truth be told, they would have stayed for 2 more shows if only they could have.
Feb 25, 2005 - Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Review At B.B. King's In N.Y.C.
THEY CAME, THEY SAW....THEY CONQUERED B.B. Kings!!!
For two shows, Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Review LAID THAT CROWD OUT!!!
Among those in attendance were, Larry Cotton of "In The Basement" magazine, Joe Rivera of Earl Lewis & The Channels, as well as Tim Marshall & Dennis DiPasquale of The Rhythm & Blues Showcase. The LONGTIME friend of David, Eddie & Tunis Wilson, a gentleman named Gorman Bannister, flew in from The Bahamas to catch the show. Now, THAT'S a friend! They go back to the days when David, Eddie & Dennis were performing together.
We were talking & Gorman shared some great memories of David & Eddie. He has some funny stories & stories that paint them as some down-to-earth & good people. It's great when you can get two sides of a story from those who were really there. No sugar coated crap, but the real stories. Gorman & Tunis Wilson are like that, just straight-up real & plain nice guys. It's a pleasure to have met them.
Dennis Edwards & The Temptation Review were great! They danced superbly & sang great. They hit us with classics such as My Girl, Don't Look Back, Rainy Night In Georgia, Get Ready, Ball Of Confusion, Don't Look Any Further & a pretty snappy version of Hello Young Lovers, among others.
Chris shined on Get Ready, Mike sang a version of Rainy Night In Georgia, that more than did justice to Brook Benton's version & the ladies ATE IT UP!!! Bernard stretched out on an excellent version of Don't Look Back. Mr. David Sea killed everyone, both man & woman, by hitting some notes that had dogs running to the box office, trying to purchase tickets!
David Sea hit notes that absolutely threatened the lens of my camera. In fact, David, if you're reading this, I WILL be sending you a bill for traumatizing the lens of my camera. Brother, you gotta hold something back. Can't be hitting those notes with so much glass around!!
Dennis called to center stage a young lady named Cindi. Cindi is a friend of Chris' wife & had flown in from the Windy City for the show. Dennis surprised her by singing Happy Birthday & had the entire audience join in. When he learned that they were other birthday celebrations, the fellas sang "Happy Birthday To Y'all". It was great & the crowd loved it.
Another sweet moment came when Dennis spotted a young 8 year old in the audience & sang a song to her. Her father brought her to the show & a new generation was exposed to the soulful singing of Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Review. Now, that's how memories AND fans are made. That young lady will never forget that night & judging by the beaming faces of her & her parents, Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Review have a new lifelong fan.
The house was definitely rocking & it is pretty damn hard to keep a steady camera when folks are dancing in the aisles, bumping you at the bar, standing at the tables dancing, but it was all good! Everyone had a ball & when all is said & done, that's what it's all about!
I extend special thanks to Larry Cotton, Ben Crosby & Tunis Wilson for making coverage of this show possible! I also extend a heartfelt thanks to the staff of B.B. King's for being extremely cooperative, especially Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang.
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