Next year will mark forty years since soul music endured one of its most tragic losses with the death of St. Louis native Donny Hathaway. But Tuesday night at the Pageant, Lalah Hathaway proved that her father’s legacy lives on as an extension of her own.
Her career has spanned nearly three times as long as her father’s at this point. She entered the crowded scene of 90s R&B at the turn of the decade as a teen with a rich contralto with maturity far beyond her young age. She managed to make a splash with her self-titled debut record thanks to the breakthrough it “Baby Don’t Cry,” – which was produced by St. Louis native Angela Winbush.
In the nearly three decades since, she’s found her groove and her voice – which is in perfect harmony with musical roots laid down by her father.
It was a show that pulled from the old and the new and paid homage to her father at the same time.
As far as record sales and commercial appeal, Lalah hasn’t enjoyed the same success as some of her lesser talented R&B counterparts. She’s been consistent, though her studio albums tend to fly under the radar.
But her live performances are another matter altogether. Mind blowing and breathtaking at the same time, Lalah channels Donny in a way that no one else can – and not for lack of trying. The similarities in their phrasing, tone and delivery is striking. Yet Lalah manages to simultaneously deliver a sound that is an anomaly in that it draws from her father, but is still uniquely her own.
She came to town to kick off “The Honestly Tour,” but she blessed St. Louis audiences with a show that was a throwback to the best of the quiet storm days of R&B.
DJ Sparks set the tone for the show with a spin session of hip-hop and R&B classics after local artist Tonina started the evening with a performance that blended upright bass and vocals.
Dressed all the way down in a pair of leggings, cargo jacket and wide-laced sneakers, Lalah took to the stage that was dimly lit with purple track lights and jumped into a trio of selections from her latest album. She told the crowd that her casual wear was a last-minute wardrobe change because of the bitter cold – which could have been a joke.
Fans were receptive, but not necessarily excited by the opening tunes. There seemed to be a shift in their universe when she teased with a taste of “Baby Don’t Cry.” The audience couldn’t help but respond. She then jumped into to “When Your Life Was Low,” a song she did with Joe Sample on their 1999 collaborative album “The Song Lives On.” The jazz-infused vocals showcased her depth and range. She dipped back into pure R&B with her original “I’m Coming Back” before blessing the crowd with a Donny Hathaway medley. A snippet of “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” and full-length versions of “A Song For You” and “You Were Meant For Me” turned the show into a blue light basement party – well except for Lalah’s lights were purple.
“Do you mind if I take y’all back?” Lalah asked. The crowd screamed with delight as she jumped into a four-song Anita Baker medley, anchored by her Grammy Award winning rendition of “Angel.” She then continued with Earth Wind and Fire’s “Love’s Holiday” and her cover of the Luther Vandross classic “Forever, For Always, For Love.” All it takes is one live performance to create a new Lalah Hathaway fan, and Tuesday’s show was no different.
But there were a few missing elements that would have been especially welcomed. First, her Grammy Award-winning rendition of her father’s “Little Ghetto Boy.” Secondly, a few more signature tunes from her own catalog would have been welcomed – particularly “Heaven Knows” and perhaps a taste of her featured Snarky Puppy take on “Something.”
