photos by JoBrea Neal
August Alsina returned to Houston giving a passionate performance to the the fans who packed the House of Blues on Saturday night. The soulful R&B singer performed his hits and a few spiritual songs, but nothing compared to the heartfelt performance that he gave when his mom joined him on stage.
by Petrice Douglas
The Suffers at House of Blues in Houston – photo by JoBrea Neal
The beginning acts were too good for me not to give attention to in this review.
Ishi – photo by JoBrea Neal
Let me start with Ishi who I had never heard of prior to the show. I knew that the music had to be something different by the looks of the band, and I was rightfully surprised. The lead vocalist looked like ZZ Top borrowed clothes from Willie Nelson who borrowed clothes from his Native American friend who borrowed a few accessories from George Clinton. As weird as it sounds, it was actually very intriguing and fit well with the performance. The style of music was just as blended with a bit of pop, disco, techno, and folk coming together to make one incredible sound. I have not heard it put together like this, and it seems like Ishi has scientifically mastered this form of art. A fusion of music that I REALLY like and want to hear more of it.
JMSN – photo by JoBrea Neal
Another opening talent that I am a new fan of is JMSN. This guy put out so much soul! The depth of his voice filled the house as he crooned out songs from his new album “It Is”. JMSN is as talented on the guitar as he is vocally, and hit us with a few moments of guitar solos. Bass player Taiki added some funk to the soul that kept the crowd funkyfied (funkyfied – new word that I made up to describe the feeling I was feeling at the time). Something else that was a first for me and very eye catching was the design of the drummer’s cymbal. It was cut into a long spiral shape and hung down to the floor. It was so unusual that I just wanted to jump on the stage and hit it one time. Give it up for the bad ass drummer with the bad ass cymbal!
WELCOME HOME TO THE SUFFERS! It was awesome having you home if only for one night.
photo by JoBrea Neal
KAM! KAM! KAM! Did you have to kick it off with “Gwan”? THAT’S MY JAM!
You have to be hard of hearing or just plain old stupid if you do not feel the high power of music while listening to The Suffers. I am so fascinated with The Suffers from Kam’s vocal ability and infectious tone to the band’s instrumentation skills. No instrument over shadows the other, and they have the perfect marriage of soul with a big band sound. Kam’s powerful voice commands attention with every word. Pulling from her soul, she ejects heartfelt emotions that are so free and uplifting. It was like I was watching my best friend performing on stage because she was real and personal when speaking and transitioning from song to song. Telling us how the group has been touring full time for the last two years with 400 plus performances in that time span, and that they no longer make excuses when it comes to creating new music. YES! I am here for that y’all. They then gave us a bonus of musical magic with their new song “I Think I Love You”……..oh yes I do.
The night continued to be one big happy soulful jam fest. We all enthusiastically took in every ounce of musical energy The Suffers cast upon us. At the end of their performance the love didn’t stop, and the band mingled and took pictures with fans and friends while The Waxaholics kept the music going.
ENCORE PLEASE!
KH-TV.COM 