http://planetill.com/2009...-bb-kings#

By Odeisel

Hip-Hop and R&B have had a very tumultuous relationship over the past few decades. In Hip-Hop’s adolescence, R&B was something to be frowned upon. It was too soft and bad for the image. But as rappers like LL Cool J got the courage to blur those boundaries, the occasional mixing was allowed, as long as it was dope. Over the years we’ve had many forays into the “interracial relationship” and it became more acceptable for rappers to be caught on the other side of the fence without having their credibility impugned. One person, more than any made that union possible: Bobby Brown. His brash brand of edgy R & B infused with Hip-Hop elements paved the way for the present landscape where a hardcore Ghostface Killah can release a Wizard Of Poetry and be taken seriously.

But as you well know, Bobby has gone from superstar to sideshow, and his once supernova shine has been dimmed to reality show shade. However, brilliance is part of who you are as a performer and the magic of the stage can provide cure to the deepest of ills, at least while under the heat of those lights. Friday night, Bobby Brown took the stage in New York to begin the winding road back to prominence. Here is the story.

Backed by the New York Funk All-Stars, Brown took the stage to a packed, standing room only house at BB King’s with many people turned away at the door. While it’s not a stadium, any question about his drawing power, at least in the Northeast, has been answered. The level of screams indicates that Brown’s magnetic presence is still intact as well.

He opened with “Don’t Be Cruel” and all the memories came back. His voice is still strong and he still moves well, albeit not the dynamic tornado he was in his youth. He’s a smart performer, rearranging the vocals to compensate for all the dancing and not putting himself out of his range.

After a brief monologue, he went into “Humpin’ Around.” The first snafu of the show occurs when he forgets a few lines of the song but he was honest about it and let the audience do some lifting. Despite that flaw he doesn’t really miss that much of a beat and the crowd got a rise out of it. He does muscle some of the stronger notes and sounds just as good as he always has.

The jacket comes off and it’s “Roni” time. This part of the show was very entertaining with a rolling boil of a performance which included a 10 minutes stretch of Bobby interacting with the audience including pulling a girl to the stage to reenact the concert video we all know and love. Homegirl looked like she’s been waiting for this moment since ’88. During the repartee, Bobby asks the girl about her man and she says he’s been deported. The crowd busts out laughing and he sends her playfully back to the audience and segues to a rousing finish full of energy, crowd participation and improve. Things like this separate true performers from the rest. The part live, where you’re not singing the song but extending, freestyling and improvising based on what is around you. Even at this advanced stage in his career, with all that drama surrounding his life, Brown stands as one of the premier stage performers of his generation.

Knowing how to manage an audience is crucial and Bobby gave an emotional valve release in the form of a short monologue sharing his recent advances in life, from his participation on “Celebrity Fit Club,” which was responsible for his present conditioning and improved shape. He then pivots into hit “On Our Own,” which was probably his strongest vocal performance of the night. The show was well programmed and sequenced up to that point allowing for highs and speed changes that gave a chance not only for Bobby to catch his wind, but also for the crowd to exhale.

The only real mishap was when a visibly emotional Brown sang a song he dedicated for his children. The song was a ballad that failed because the audience didn’t know it, and because Bobby’s emotion derailed many of the notes he tried to reach. He lost the crowd, but only momentarily. “Every Little Step” brought him back and then some.

The audience sung along with every word and Brown was back in business. He flashed some of that dances from the video and managed not to hurt himself. Brown continued alternating pace with “Rock Wit’cha” and closing with a rousing showstopper of My Prerogative.”

We love second acts and second chances in America, almost as much for the train wreck possibility as for the chance at redemption. Bobby Brown exists somewhere in the middle. While ex-wife Whitney is publicly on her comeback trail, Bobby simmers beneath the surface, quietly (for him at least) building up his body and his mind for a shot at rewriting the book on him. If this show is an indication, it is a comeback with legs. He is every bit of the performer he ever was, even at 40. The question remains, can he stay on the yellow brick road?









[Edited 10/26/09 18:45pm]

Nobody has love for B. Brown?

Who the All-Star, nijja stole Jimmy Walker's group.

Whoa he does sound a bit stronger than last I heard him. Looks like he's dropped some of that excess weight too. I really hope this a good sign for him, I really do. His voice sounds really good now. You know there's something is up when Bobby Brown is sounding better than K-Ci Hailey these days.

Good for him. I enjoyed singing along to On Our On.

missfee said:

People can root for Whitney

I'ma root for Bobby with every ounce of my soul

bboy87 said:

YES.....YES>>>>>YES!!!!!Very True

Thanks for that post made my day - the B-Brown ....Yeah....just lay off the drugs Bob and your comeback will be massive !

Sounds like he did a really good job. I'm gonna root for Bobby too, lol

i won't comment on him being from boston and waering a NYY cap

Timmy84 said:

me 2!!!! when he changes his cap

The kang

Good for him.

Looks like he's getting his life back on track.

And he lost weight




[Edited 11/3/09 21:00pm]