MARCH 3,2007:
"MEGA BLUES FEST FRIDAY"
Hello Blues and Southern Soul fans.The first couple of months of the year are always the best time for the blues and southern soul shows in THE MAGNOLIA STATE(Mississippi).From the top half,thru the central on to the bottom half this time of the year you can see some of the biggest name recording artists in the industry performing for the GOOD people in Mississippi.After a long hard day at work I was able to travel down to the central part of the state and unwind with the good people in Vicksburg,Mississippi. TOO SWEET PRODUCTIONS played host to a southern soul party dubbed "MEGA BLUES FEST FRIDAY".
The lineup for this show was truly an all-star lineup with three of my very favorite artists on the roster.The lineup included my homeboy,"The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul",O.B. Buchana,my very good friend,"The Bad Boy Of Southern Soul",T.K. Soul and the "King Of Southern Soul",Sir Charles Jones.The good people in Vicksburg sho-nuff know how to party southern soul style.BYOB was in full effect so you know the drinks and food were plentiful.I always describe this enviroment as being a festive one.
The Vicksburg Auditorium was the site for this southern soul party and it was standing room only inside.I love to see a full house for these hardworking artists and when I say full house there weren't anymore seats available.The staff for tonights show tried to get in extra chairs which did provide some relief for a few fans but there were many others that just had to Stand Up In This One.When I arrived,there were some familar faces in the house,my homeboy and honorary Dawg Pound member,Nathaniel Kimble was there,the CEO of Foxy Productions,Levonne Sampson was there and looking quite charming I should say,Ecko recording artist Ms. Jody was in da house,my friend Vickie from Hattiesburg,MS was present and too my suprise a couple of co-workers Melissa and Eleasah Granberry made the trip from the Delta after a long hard day of work.
The smell of chicken wings and fried fish was too much for me so I directed myself to the kitchen and I wasn't bashful when I ordered my food.Lets keep it simple,I'm writing this review several hours after the show and I'm still not hungry at all.I usually don't get frustrated at a show but I guess its a first Sunday in everyday of the week.Showtime was scheduled for 8:00 P.M. but the soundman for whatever reasons wasn't available and this set the start time way back and really pi**ed off a lot of fans including myself.I must have consumed my normal intake of alcohol before the start of a show but finally after an almost two hour delay somebody had the sound checks straight.So with my gin & juice starting to kick in and my belly satisfied,sit back good people and allow me to take you on this blues and southern soul ride.
A local band by the name,The Project Band opened up the show and the people in attendance gave them a decent reception.All the vocals were done by three females who did renditions of some classic soul hits such as Betty Wright's "Cleanup Woman","Tonight Is The Night", and Denise Lasalle "Trapped By A Thing Called Love".I could tell that the promoters were in rush mode because as they were about to perform The Staple Singers,"I'll Take You There" and the mc's came on stage and abbreviated their performance.Overall it was a good performance and they did set a good tone for tonight's show.
It was announced that a suprise guest was in the house and the guest was none other than "The Prince Of Southern Soul",Reggie P who blessed the crowd with a couple of his hit singles(No band,just a music track) including my personal favorite "Why Me" and of course Reggie P was in the audience for the majority of this brief performance and the crowd loved it.Reggie P,keep doing da damn thang.
The next performer on the night was "The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul",O.B. Buchana.He hit the stage with aggression and he received a thunderous ovation."I'm In Love" was the beginning of the most exciting performance that I've ever seen from the gentle giant."Booty Scoot" was his next selection and he and his band members have been putting in time on rehearsing some very slick dance moves that went over very well with the crowd.He dances very well to be such a large man(Thanks for giving us big guys hope)."It's Over" allowed O.B. to showcase his deep soulful baritone voice and this vocal style always remind me of our beloved Tyrone Davis.The first time I heard him perform his next selection it caught me off guard but not this time.He did a rendition of Al Green's "Love And Happiness" and fans you got to hear this man sing this song."You Can Be A Fool And Don't Know It" sounded like another cut from the early Tyrone Davis years.His next song is one of my personal favorites,"Like My Woman" was well received as he begin to adlib with the men and women in attendance and like all other male performers who aren't ashame to display their lizard,excuse me their tounge he boasted that Willie Clayton and Marvin Sease ain't got sh*t on him and when he opened his mouth and displayed his lizard I agree sorry Willie and Marvin.He closed his performance with "Lets Get Drunk"(He downed a half gallon of Crown) and "Back Up Lover" which was the highlight of his performance as several women from the crowd got to go one on one with members of the band.O.B. and his hype man were joined on stage by a female fan and like a feather they picked her up in the air and O.B. spreaded her legs over his shoulder and began to simulate his version of "Candy Licking",Marvin Sease eat your damn heart out.O.B. was a crowd pleaser on this night and I can honestly say that he has arrived as a terrific vocalist and showman.AWESOME PERFORMANCE!
The next performer on the night was "The Bad Boy Of Southern Soul",T,K. Soul and before I go into his review allow me to acknowledge his band,"Soul 4 Real".This has got to be one of the top bands in the industry.I don't want to disrepect or p*ss off any of the other hardworking bands with that statement but with all of T.K. Soul's individual accolades they are the rock and a very solid foundation that provides the groundwork for this hit machine.At every show I attend these brothers show me much love and they are hardly mentioned in my reviews so to the baddest band in the land continue to let it do what it do baby. He opened his performance with "Meet Me At The Spot" and the women down front were screaming with pure excitement.He and his band went into a dance routine and this received a nice ovation from the crowd.His next song was "My Kind Of Girl" and T.K. was performing at a high level so I could tell that he was really trying to get the crowd pumped up for this show and believe me the entire auditorium was definetly pumped up.It was very late by now(1:00 am)and the promoters were trying to rush his performance but T.K. being the supreme performer was still able to come across well with "If You Don't Want Me" toward the end of this song he paid tribute to all the beautiful women in attendance with a version of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and once again he's found a new routine for his show and the ladies loved it."You Ring My Bell" was his next song and he placed five chairs on stage and five women from the audience were selected to sit on stage and one by one they all received their qualty time(Explicit grown folks dancing) with "The Bad Boy Of Southern Soul".He closed his performance with "Party Like Back In The Day","It Ain't Cheating Til You Get Caught" and "Cheatin And Lying".Once again T.K. Soul was the man.I've seen his shows on numerous occassions and it never gets old.Damn Good Performance!
The last performer of the night was "The King Of Southern Soul",Sir Charles Jones.It was damn near 2:00 am and the house was still packed.In my last review I said that at the end of a show the crowd usually will begin to pour out on the last performer,I stated that with no disrespect to other artists I could only think of three performers who can keep a crowd to the very end of a show and I named T.K. Soul as one and for this show the second performer was on hand,Sir Charles.Its simply amazing to see after hours of being packed in like sardines no one had left the building and fans it was now 2:00 am.He opened up his performance with "Friday" and the ladies begin to make some serious noise.I don't believe the women were even listening to him sing just being in his presence seemed to be enough for them.He did abbreviatied portions of some of his top hits including "Just Can't Let Go","Drop That Thang", and "Natural Woman".The highlight of his performance was on "Slow Roll It" as he was joined on stage by Reggie P and O.B. Buchana and they all belted out their own rendition of this southern soul classic but they were just getting started as they all joined in on a synchronized dance routine which consisted of several hip thrusting, bone it like you own it,I'll lick it before I stick it, and I'll stand up in it all night long(grown folks stuff ya'll) and the crowd exploded.He closed his performance with "Is There Anybody Lonely".In a business where rumored egos do exist Sir Charles gave a shout out to Reggie P,O.B. Buchana,T.K. Soul and Nathaniel Kimble and he called all of them his friends.I thought that this was a very classy gesture and it was very refreshing to hear and see.Good Performance!
In closing I don't like to say who had the best performance because I ALWAYS ENJOY ALL THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCES.On a night with two of the biggest players in the game present,T.K. Soul and Sir Charles Jones my man O.B. Buchana did his thang and I have to give him mad props and much love,"The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul" is among the southern soul elite. I would like to give some shout outs to Keith Miles, Levonne Sampson,Ms. Jody,Nathaniel Kimble,O.B. Buchana and crew,T.K. Soul and Soul 4 Real,Reggie P,Sir Charles,Vickie and a special shout out to my co-workers,Melissa and Eleasah(I'll see you all back on the grind).Like always I had a great time at this show and I wanted to share it with you the greatest fans in the world.Take care and MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.
BIG K9
"MEGA BLUES FEST FRIDAY"
Hello Blues and Southern Soul fans.The first couple of months of the year are always the best time for the blues and southern soul shows in THE MAGNOLIA STATE(Mississippi).From the top half,thru the central on to the bottom half this time of the year you can see some of the biggest name recording artists in the industry performing for the GOOD people in Mississippi.After a long hard day at work I was able to travel down to the central part of the state and unwind with the good people in Vicksburg,Mississippi. TOO SWEET PRODUCTIONS played host to a southern soul party dubbed "MEGA BLUES FEST FRIDAY".
The lineup for this show was truly an all-star lineup with three of my very favorite artists on the roster.The lineup included my homeboy,"The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul",O.B. Buchana,my very good friend,"The Bad Boy Of Southern Soul",T.K. Soul and the "King Of Southern Soul",Sir Charles Jones.The good people in Vicksburg sho-nuff know how to party southern soul style.BYOB was in full effect so you know the drinks and food were plentiful.I always describe this enviroment as being a festive one.
The Vicksburg Auditorium was the site for this southern soul party and it was standing room only inside.I love to see a full house for these hardworking artists and when I say full house there weren't anymore seats available.The staff for tonights show tried to get in extra chairs which did provide some relief for a few fans but there were many others that just had to Stand Up In This One.When I arrived,there were some familar faces in the house,my homeboy and honorary Dawg Pound member,Nathaniel Kimble was there,the CEO of Foxy Productions,Levonne Sampson was there and looking quite charming I should say,Ecko recording artist Ms. Jody was in da house,my friend Vickie from Hattiesburg,MS was present and too my suprise a couple of co-workers Melissa and Eleasah Granberry made the trip from the Delta after a long hard day of work.
The smell of chicken wings and fried fish was too much for me so I directed myself to the kitchen and I wasn't bashful when I ordered my food.Lets keep it simple,I'm writing this review several hours after the show and I'm still not hungry at all.I usually don't get frustrated at a show but I guess its a first Sunday in everyday of the week.Showtime was scheduled for 8:00 P.M. but the soundman for whatever reasons wasn't available and this set the start time way back and really pi**ed off a lot of fans including myself.I must have consumed my normal intake of alcohol before the start of a show but finally after an almost two hour delay somebody had the sound checks straight.So with my gin & juice starting to kick in and my belly satisfied,sit back good people and allow me to take you on this blues and southern soul ride.
A local band by the name,The Project Band opened up the show and the people in attendance gave them a decent reception.All the vocals were done by three females who did renditions of some classic soul hits such as Betty Wright's "Cleanup Woman","Tonight Is The Night", and Denise Lasalle "Trapped By A Thing Called Love".I could tell that the promoters were in rush mode because as they were about to perform The Staple Singers,"I'll Take You There" and the mc's came on stage and abbreviated their performance.Overall it was a good performance and they did set a good tone for tonight's show.
It was announced that a suprise guest was in the house and the guest was none other than "The Prince Of Southern Soul",Reggie P who blessed the crowd with a couple of his hit singles(No band,just a music track) including my personal favorite "Why Me" and of course Reggie P was in the audience for the majority of this brief performance and the crowd loved it.Reggie P,keep doing da damn thang.
The next performer on the night was "The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul",O.B. Buchana.He hit the stage with aggression and he received a thunderous ovation."I'm In Love" was the beginning of the most exciting performance that I've ever seen from the gentle giant."Booty Scoot" was his next selection and he and his band members have been putting in time on rehearsing some very slick dance moves that went over very well with the crowd.He dances very well to be such a large man(Thanks for giving us big guys hope)."It's Over" allowed O.B. to showcase his deep soulful baritone voice and this vocal style always remind me of our beloved Tyrone Davis.The first time I heard him perform his next selection it caught me off guard but not this time.He did a rendition of Al Green's "Love And Happiness" and fans you got to hear this man sing this song."You Can Be A Fool And Don't Know It" sounded like another cut from the early Tyrone Davis years.His next song is one of my personal favorites,"Like My Woman" was well received as he begin to adlib with the men and women in attendance and like all other male performers who aren't ashame to display their lizard,excuse me their tounge he boasted that Willie Clayton and Marvin Sease ain't got sh*t on him and when he opened his mouth and displayed his lizard I agree sorry Willie and Marvin.He closed his performance with "Lets Get Drunk"(He downed a half gallon of Crown) and "Back Up Lover" which was the highlight of his performance as several women from the crowd got to go one on one with members of the band.O.B. and his hype man were joined on stage by a female fan and like a feather they picked her up in the air and O.B. spreaded her legs over his shoulder and began to simulate his version of "Candy Licking",Marvin Sease eat your damn heart out.O.B. was a crowd pleaser on this night and I can honestly say that he has arrived as a terrific vocalist and showman.AWESOME PERFORMANCE!
The next performer on the night was "The Bad Boy Of Southern Soul",T,K. Soul and before I go into his review allow me to acknowledge his band,"Soul 4 Real".This has got to be one of the top bands in the industry.I don't want to disrepect or p*ss off any of the other hardworking bands with that statement but with all of T.K. Soul's individual accolades they are the rock and a very solid foundation that provides the groundwork for this hit machine.At every show I attend these brothers show me much love and they are hardly mentioned in my reviews so to the baddest band in the land continue to let it do what it do baby. He opened his performance with "Meet Me At The Spot" and the women down front were screaming with pure excitement.He and his band went into a dance routine and this received a nice ovation from the crowd.His next song was "My Kind Of Girl" and T.K. was performing at a high level so I could tell that he was really trying to get the crowd pumped up for this show and believe me the entire auditorium was definetly pumped up.It was very late by now(1:00 am)and the promoters were trying to rush his performance but T.K. being the supreme performer was still able to come across well with "If You Don't Want Me" toward the end of this song he paid tribute to all the beautiful women in attendance with a version of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and once again he's found a new routine for his show and the ladies loved it."You Ring My Bell" was his next song and he placed five chairs on stage and five women from the audience were selected to sit on stage and one by one they all received their qualty time(Explicit grown folks dancing) with "The Bad Boy Of Southern Soul".He closed his performance with "Party Like Back In The Day","It Ain't Cheating Til You Get Caught" and "Cheatin And Lying".Once again T.K. Soul was the man.I've seen his shows on numerous occassions and it never gets old.Damn Good Performance!
The last performer of the night was "The King Of Southern Soul",Sir Charles Jones.It was damn near 2:00 am and the house was still packed.In my last review I said that at the end of a show the crowd usually will begin to pour out on the last performer,I stated that with no disrespect to other artists I could only think of three performers who can keep a crowd to the very end of a show and I named T.K. Soul as one and for this show the second performer was on hand,Sir Charles.Its simply amazing to see after hours of being packed in like sardines no one had left the building and fans it was now 2:00 am.He opened up his performance with "Friday" and the ladies begin to make some serious noise.I don't believe the women were even listening to him sing just being in his presence seemed to be enough for them.He did abbreviatied portions of some of his top hits including "Just Can't Let Go","Drop That Thang", and "Natural Woman".The highlight of his performance was on "Slow Roll It" as he was joined on stage by Reggie P and O.B. Buchana and they all belted out their own rendition of this southern soul classic but they were just getting started as they all joined in on a synchronized dance routine which consisted of several hip thrusting, bone it like you own it,I'll lick it before I stick it, and I'll stand up in it all night long(grown folks stuff ya'll) and the crowd exploded.He closed his performance with "Is There Anybody Lonely".In a business where rumored egos do exist Sir Charles gave a shout out to Reggie P,O.B. Buchana,T.K. Soul and Nathaniel Kimble and he called all of them his friends.I thought that this was a very classy gesture and it was very refreshing to hear and see.Good Performance!
In closing I don't like to say who had the best performance because I ALWAYS ENJOY ALL THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCES.On a night with two of the biggest players in the game present,T.K. Soul and Sir Charles Jones my man O.B. Buchana did his thang and I have to give him mad props and much love,"The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul" is among the southern soul elite. I would like to give some shout outs to Keith Miles, Levonne Sampson,Ms. Jody,Nathaniel Kimble,O.B. Buchana and crew,T.K. Soul and Soul 4 Real,Reggie P,Sir Charles,Vickie and a special shout out to my co-workers,Melissa and Eleasah(I'll see you all back on the grind).Like always I had a great time at this show and I wanted to share it with you the greatest fans in the world.Take care and MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.
BIG K9