R&B singer Tank is among the legitimate talents in the music industry, but the lack of a live band for his performance at the Pageant Wednesday meant that fans would have to settle for less.
He made the most of the experience with audio visual assistance that included his videos playing in the background, but when he scaled down for an intimate finale where he accompanied himself on a piano the missed opportunity was evident.
For 0 minutes or so, he was truly in his element. He showcased his chops as a proficient musician with the type of presence that R&B gods are made of.
But the rest of the performance was essentially smoke and mirrors that obstructed his legitimacy within the genre.
For most of Tank’s set, he stood before the crowd offering what could pass as karaoke.
Some tracks he provided vocals for, while others he just moved around to his recordings.
But even in the shortcomings of his show, his fan base seemed completely satisfied – probably because of the robust list of selections (more than twenty) that gave a comprehensive timeline of his R&B resume.
And whatever was lacking as far as the live instrument element, he attempted to make up for with a diverse representation of his catalog.
He started off with “I Deserve,” and took them from the bedroom, to the dance floor – and even to the strip club – and back with a selection of songs that inspired everything from raw emotion to the urge to twerk.
As far as energy and content, Tank gives no evidence of a being a nearly twenty-year veteran of R&B. His songs felt fresh and fared well with the crowd. Much of the show highlighted his most recent album “Sex, Love and Pain II.”
He has a rare diversity with respect to his stage presence. Few artists are equally comfortable dancing in front of fans as sitting behind the piano.
The latter is the bigger strength, but his desire to be a heartthrob keeps him taking his shirt off and serenading the ladies who rush to the front of the stage.
Thriving on the female attention for his natural sex appeal and somewhat playing down his skills as a singer/songwriter may have something to do with why he hasn’t been able to break out of the middle tier among R&B stars.
His core fan based seems pleased, but there is more to Tank’s talent scope that meets the eye – which he proved with his keyboard finale. He slowed down “Pony,” the signature hit of his former TGT group mate Ginuwine.
And Tank’s soulful take on Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – which he’s regularly inserted into his live show over the years – ended his performance on a high note.
The downside of his triumphant finale was that it left many wondering what might have been had there been a full team of musicians accompanying him for the first segments of the show.
Next time he might want to consider springing for the band – or the option of reformatting the performance as an intimate “Tank and a Piano” offering.
