Friday July 17, 2009 at The Phoenix Plaza
Frankie Beverly & Maze
featuring Dwele
By any measure, one of the most talented but criminally underappreciated self-contained bands of the past quarter century has been Frankie Beverly and Maze. Their ability to fuse soul and jazz with an irresistible groove and intelligent lyrical content has gained for them an extremely loyal following among Soul music fans and great respect among their performing peers, but little attention in the pop music world.
Friday July 24, 2009 at The Phoenix Plaza
Rick Ross and friends
Named after "Freeway" Ricky Ross, a notorious Los Angeles-based drug-dealer, Miami's Rick Ross is another Southern hustler-turned-rapper in the tradition of Scarface, T.I. and Young Jeezy. Hailing from Miami's gritty Carol City section, Ross has been rapping for 12 years and has appeared on Trick Daddy's .Thug Holiday as well as both Trina's Diamond Princess and Glamorest Life. His own monster hit, fittingly titled "Hustlin'", earned Ross a million-dollar deal with Def Jam. His debut album, Port Of Miami was released in 2006.
Sunday August 9, 2009 at The Phoenix Plaza
Billy Currington
From small-town Son of the South to hot new artist to bona fide country star, Billy Currington has seen it all. In 2003 he burst onto the Nashville scene with his self-titled debut album, and proceeded to burn up the charts with Top Ten singles “I Got a Feelin’” and “Walk a Little Straighter”. It wasn’t long before the legendary Shania Twain tapped him to be her duet partner in their smash hit “Party for Two”. In the accompanying video, Currington swung from an enormous chandelier and straight into the hearts of Americans everywhere.
Thursday August 20, 2009 at The Phoenix Plaza
EnVogue with
BBD (Bell Biv DeVoe)
En Vogue's debut album, Born to Sing, appeared in 1990 and launched the pop crossover smash "Hold On," which peaked at number two and helped the album go platinum. The group attracted comparisons to the Supremes, even though groupmembers shared lead vocals and intentionally designated no particular singer the "star." When En Vogue returned in 1992 with Funky Divas, critical and commercial response was overwhelming. The album's wide array of styles, from pop and R&B to rap, rock, and reggae, were lauded in print; the first three singles -- "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" (both covers of songs written by Curtis Mayfield), and "Free Your Mind" (which borrowed a chorus line from George Clinton) -- reached the Top Ten, and the album went multi-platinum. En Vogue were in the Top Ten again in 1993, backing Salt-N-Pepa on their hit "Whatta Man."
Bell Biv DeVoe was hatched in the minds of its members, New Edition's Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, upon the departure of lead singer Bobby Brown in 1986. But it wasn't until after New Edition completed its supporting tour for the album Heart Break in 1988 that the trio gave in to the urgings of Heart Break producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and decided to chart its own course. Bell Biv DeVoe enlisted a variety of producers for its debut album, including Jam and Lewis and Public Enemy producers Hank and Keith Shocklee. The results were quite unlike anything in New Edition's repertoire: The beats were funkier, the lyrics and vocals were sexier, and the overall sound had a harder, hip-hop-tinged edge. The album's title track, "Poison," became a number three smash, and it was followed by the equally successful "Do Me!" and the R&B hits "B.B.D. (I Thought it Was Me)," "When Will I See You Smile Again?," and "Dope!" The album itself went on to sell over three million copies and was followed by a remix album the next year. Meanwhile, Bivins took some time off to assemble the so-called East Coast Family, discovering and producing debut albums for Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men.
Friday August 21, 2009 at The Phoenix Plaza
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter known for hit songs such as "I'm Every Woman", "Ain't Nobody", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire". Khan was first featured as a member of the funk band Rufus before beginning her solo career.