Written by Zeplyn Tillman
As a soulful night in D.C. began, people quickly packed into the Howard Theatre and awaited for an experience full of of vocal serenading, live instrumentation, and a smooth demonstration of R&B from Ro James, George Tandy Jr., BJ the Chicago Kid, and Luke James.
Ro James, although a fresh face to the crowd, opened with a compelling performance that left a lasting impression. Similarly, the just as impressive George Tandy Jr. wowed the crowd with his stellar stage presence, musicianship, and humbleness that made him a fan favorite instantly.
BJ the Chicago Kid entered next. Backed with his band, BJ got right to work weaving in and and out of covers in a soulful nature like R. Kelly’s “When a Womans Fed Up”, Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You”, and D’ Angelo’s “Untitled ‘How Does it Feel’. BJ later showed great dexterity when transitioning from songs rooted in R&B, than Hip-Hop, and finally on to Soul. Demonstrating great crowd control, some stand out moments included his performance of a tribute song entitled “It’s True” to his deceased friends and his seductive track “Soul of a Woman”.
Luke James closed the show and was nothing short of Amazing. His demeanor was one of a classic R&B artists from the days of Motown or Philadelphia International, but his music couldn’t feel more 2015. James did a great job of keeping the audience involved by covering classic songs like Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and Carl Thomas’ “I Wish”. Proving why he is a staple in this new generation of R&B, James closed the show by having the whole crowd rocking to his Grammy nominated singles “Options” and “I Want You”.