The official opening night of the 19th Essence Music Festival kicked off with some of the biggest names in urban music, but it would be the underdogs and rising stars that would steal the show.
Brandy opened things up on the mainstage like she had everything to lose. In gold-studded dangerously hi-cut hot pants, she performed a slightly modified and abbreviated version of her relentlessly high energy TwoEleven tour performance.
It was her first time performing at the Essence Music Festival and she all but ensured that it wouldn’t be her last as she ran through her classic hits and new material from her latest album.
Through Brandy’s set music lovers were reminded that Brandy has been on the music scene – not only because she took them down memory lane with songs like “I Wanna Be Down” and “Sitting Up in My Room,” but also by the quality of her performance. She captivated the Superdome like a seasoned pro – especially when she paid homage to her musical idol Whitney Houston with a medley tribute that included “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” “How Will I Know” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
The same could be said about LL Cool J, who represented for hip-hop on the Essence Music Festival Mainstage and showcased his legacy in the history of Rap.
Approaching his late 40’s, LL offered a stage show that would stand alongside – for many supersede – some of the fresh young faces in the rap game as he moved the crowd with selections like “My Radio,” “Around The Way Girl,” “I Need Love” “Luv You Better,” Going Back To Cali,” “HeadSprung” and more.
He even invited fellow rap legends EPMD on stage to join in the performance of “Jingling Baby” and had the entire audience in the palm of his hands by the time he closed the show with “Rock the Bells.”
While LL rocked the mainstage, British newcomer Emeli Sande served from the Super Lounge stage in her U.S. musical festival debut.
Fans from all over the world packed to see Sande, who will most certainly grow into an international sensation sooner than later with her soulful pop/R&B hybrid interpretation of music.
She captured the attention of U.S. audiences with “Next To Me” – her first single in the States – – late last year, but Sande used the Super Lounge to show that she plans on permanently carving a place for herself in the mix with the presentation of songs from her debut album “Our Version of Events.”
Her music ran the gamut from cute catchy tunes, aching love ballads to powerful inspirational anthems. But Sande’s uniquely rich and pristine vocals, along with an unyielding connection with the crowd, were the common denominator.
Chrisette Michele was
The audience was beyond capacity and the CoverGirl Super Lounge had to deny entry to fans due to the overwhelming amount of people who stopped in to catch her performance. In hindsight she may have been a better fit on the mainstage based on the hundreds and hundreds of people who were turned away as fans lined wall to wall to get an earful of her jazzy soul.
And Michele didn’t disappoint as she effortlessly showcased her voice through riffs, scats and vocal improvisations that must have had Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday and Dinah Washington smiling down – as she managed to pay tribute to them – through original music like her debut single “If I Had My Way” and “Better” –the title track from her latest album.
Unfortunately, things cooled down to a fault on the mainstage after LL Cool J.
Jill Scott emerged as the commanding force she is known to be – including her tradition of traveling with sickeningly talented band – and an energy that grabs fans at hello.
But last night things went left as she presented uncharacteristically subdued vocals and donned a gold bottom grill.
Scott gave underwhelming renditions of fan favorites like “The Way,” Golden,” Hate On Me,” and labored through unflattering arrangements of her other
Meanwhile, Essence Music Festival Friday night headliner Maxwell was just plain rusty. His opening selection “Sumthin, Sumthin” seemed to last forever as he was apparently attempting to get comfortable with connecting to an audience.
Fans tolerated lukewarm renditions of “Get to Know Ya,” “Bad Habits,” “This Woman’s Work” before he entered his “classic Maxwell” zone. He heated things up with “Fire We Make,” an incredibly arranged remix of his “Simply Beautiful” remake and “Fortunate” before closing the show with “Pretty Wings.”
The Essence Music Festival continues throughout the weekend with performances by Faith Evans, Rachelle Ferrell, Mint Condition, Lela James, Marsha Ambrosious, Jody Watley, Janelle Monet and more before closing with Beyoncé on Sunday night. For more information, visit http://www.essence.com/festival
