Joe

Before Usher, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown, there was Joe. Coming up on the R&B scene in the early 90s, I wasn’t officially introduced to his talents till I heard his collaboration with Mariah Carey and 98 Degrees on 1998’s ‘Thank God I Found You.’ I was in my early teens and thought this would by far one of the most beautiful songs I heard in a long time, and at that age, I thought most R&B and pop ballads were that way. However, discovering ‘I Wanna Know’ the follow year solidified my interest in Joe’s music. Sure, he was singing about grown up things, especially considering how young I was at the time. However, I took his lyrics and applied it to what I was feeling in my own teen dramas at the moment -- as many young girls do.
Despite dropping eight albums and even more singles, it wasn’t until Joe played a special afternoon show in New York City that I got to finally see him play live. Tucked away in the Living Room, located in the Lower East Side, I, along with a select 25 people watched him play the hits as well as new tracks from his ninth record, ‘Doubleback: Evolution of R&B.’ While I was a fan years before this moment, I was clearly not his number one fan as a number of middle aged women took on that role. I, however, was quite intrigued by the suaveness he had and just how his voice rippled through the air. And there’s one thing I noticed, he really knows how to woo the women.
From singing about how will satisfy her physical needs to how he’ll take her, Joe has managed to personify the perfect man -- even if it only lasts for the duration of his set.

Dru Hill are probably best known, with the benefit of hindsight, for having launched the solo career of Sisqo, a man who went from global stardom in the early noughties with the frankly classic likes of ‘The Thong Song’ to ultimately being reduced, just a few years later, to appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK and demonstrating classic signs of ‘small man syndrome’ by defending his height by claiming that he’s “taller when he stands on his wallet”. Regardless, to dismiss Dru Hill as merely some vehicle for Sisqo’s own music would be totally criminal, given that they’ve had three platinum albums of their own and a slew of chart hits, including the Redman-featuring ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. They’ve never officially split, either, despite the fact that their sound is pretty rooted in that late-noughties style of R&B; they continue to tour after eschewing their classic three-part harmony structure on fourth album InDRUpendence Day. Their U.S. shows, though, have had them on top harmonising form, skipping Sisqo’s solo work for classic cuts from the Dru back catalogue; they’ve yet to reach the UK, but should have a nostalgia-heavy audience waiting for them once they do.

The American R&B group, Silk, have been producing incredible rap and hip hop music since the early 90s, and I’ve been following their career progression ever since. They opened the show with their hit single Freak Me, which had everyone singing along right away. They were encouraging everyone to move further forward (the venue wan’t full and there was quite a gap before the front of the stage), and dance right by them.
It was awesome to be right next to such a talented group of musicians, and when they performed their more well known songs, they were getting everyone in the audience to join in with their singing. They played their cover of Adore by Prince, which is when I think I had the most fun. Everyone knew every single word, and was dancing like mad. Gary Glenn was dancing with his hands in the air, and encouraging us all to do the same throughout the track.
The band were totally dedicated to their music, and gave every single song 110%. Their writing is skilled, and the way that they work together and bounce their energy off of each other is something they have mastered perfectly to create a great show.