On a Friday night in Times Square a crowd of single ladies, single guys, couples, friends, lovers and tourists rocked to the sounds of R&B singer-songwriter and Grammy-Award winner Chrisette Michele at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill.
Simply put: Chrisette Michele is beautiful, energetic and playful. However, as one could have expected, the native New Yorker knew exactly how to milk the crowd’s anticipation during her sold-out performance. Starting a half-hour behind schedule and with a Queens-bred emcee named Lem Payne as the opening act, the singer made a grand entrance by performing her most popular tune to date: “Epiphany,” the lead single from her 2009 studio release of the same name. And from that moment on, it was one hell of a party.
The night was filled with high energy and passion-filled tales of love, relationships, family and staying positive. In addition to the funky R&B hit “What You Do” and a soul-stirring performance of “Blame It On Me,” she also blessed us with several tracks from her 2007 debut, I Am, to include the Grammy-nominated single “If I Had My Way.
Nonetheless, for an hour-and-a-half Ms. Michele took us on a lovely jazz-influenced, gospel-inspired, neo soul ride – as did her backing vocalist and cousin (during a 15-minute intermission of covers by Jill Scott, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys).
