This past Friday, Webster University’s Annual Rock Your Roots concert featured music that was a taste of throwback by way of Solange along with a progressive appetizer served through her opening act – local singer/musician Teresa Jenee.
Jenee’s unique blend of house/progressive soul/R&B commanded the attention of the audience from start to finish.
Somewhere between “Don’t Break My Heart,” the dance tune that had the singer grooving harder than anyone in the audience and “Pushin’” brought her vocal skills back into the forefront, Jenee showcased flexibility and maturity as an artist that warrants national attention from the music industry.
After an entertaining opening act – and a long intermission – Solange Knowles took the stage to perform favorites from her 2008 release Sol Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams.
The crowd was prepped by the groove of her band, also named The Hadley Street Dreams. The all-white funk band had a rhythm section that would ‘tear the roof off the sucka’ up against the best of them.
Solange took the stage and it was immediately apparent that she tries harder not to be big sister Beyonce than she does to just be herself.
But as she presented the material from her latest album in front of a modest crowd of fans, students and music lovers, Solange showed that she might just have the potential to make a name for herself as an anti-hero for R&B.
She does her own thing – from the hobo chic (which was more hobo than chic) attire, to the quirky dance moves that she relished in as she shook off the constant technical difficulties of the show.
Unlike Beyonce, who obviously orchestrates every step, note, wardrobe and interlude to the second, Solange offers a laid-back performance style.
She allows the audience to relax and enjoy her eclectic sound, which sits with listeners in the same way a new flavor is added to an old – but good – recipe.
From her latest single “Tony” to her breakout hit “I Decided” there’s something refreshing, yet retrospective about her.
In the current market of cookie cut R&B seductresses, Solange at least deserves props for daring to walk the road less traveled in her musical journey.
She bravely opts for more heartfelt (and heartbreaking with the case of “Tony”) musical expressions than the “ R&B Pop with a side of Crunk” that female artists have flooded the market with for the last couple of years.
Not expecting much walking in, I left with a new respect and appreciation for the singer. Though she will probably never escape the shadow of Beyonce, Solange deserves at least a little shine of her own.
