So this past Saturday I was invited by my cousin (James Rouse) to hang out at the Lauryn Hill concert at the Caesers Palace's venue Circus Maximus in Atlantic City, N. J.. This is my second time seeing her since last year in Philadelphia at the TLA. Show would be starting kind of late, but the venue was really nice and our seats were stage right:) I wasn't sure of what to expect, but I was hoping it was going to be better than what I saw last year.
Yes, I heard the rumors of her being late and not sounding good. Stef Mitchell wrote a blog of when she came to Williamsburg Music Hall, he said it was the worst ever. No matter what I've always been a fan of her 'swag', style of dress, and especially her tone of voice. At last year's concert she was only fifteen minutes late. The set was good, but she wasn't in the best voice. She sounded hoarse. I was disappointed. Last Saturday is was a breath of fresh air.
First, let me just say that my cousin James Rouse is the drummer for Ms. Hill's tour right now. So I had great seats on the right side of him on stage. I was able to hear and see everything. Her show began with a DJ for about forty-five minutes then the band joined him. The band was absolutely crazy! Yes, I may be biased because my cousin was playing for her, but every last band member was a great asset!
Lauryn was about twenty minutes late, but ready. It was a non-stop two-hour set. She sang the old Miseducation of Lauryn Hill project along with some of the Fugees hits like Ready or Not and Killing Me Softly. But that wasn't it. Her voice sounded so good this time. My favorite song of hers is X-Factor and she did a wonderful job. It was a good feeling knowing that she's out here doing her thing again and even working on some new music. I know it'll be hard to follow the Miseducation album, but as long as she's singing like I heard her on Saturday, she could sing the ABCs and I'd be happy:) I'm attaching this YouTube video with her on the FUSE network. Check it out!
At the age of 12 I used to go to the laundry mat
with my family. I didn't mind being there because in 1985 videos was the new
thing and they had a new video machine where I was first introduced to Whitney
Houston's "You Give Good Love". Most of my teenage and young
adult years were influenced by her music.Not only was I influenced by her music, but her ‘classy’ image.I wanted to look like her and wear those
beautiful gowns she wore for those award shows. I favor writing ballads because
of the types she sang. She will be missed.
Whitney Houston's chart-making
history is undeniably most impressive. Hits like "Saving All My Love
For You" and "Greatest Love of All" peaked at number 1 in the
billboard charts. She totaled seven consecutive number one hits according
to Billboard writer Gary Trust. The billboard article http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/whitney-houston-s-billboard-chart-records-1006168562.story list her
various hits and times spent on the billboard charts. Whitney Houston
hails as the top-ranking woman to score 20 weeks in the #1 spot for the
Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992.Though the
soundtrack was a huge success, we can’t forget the movie.We were pleasantly surprised when we
recognized that Whitney could actually act!But my favorite movie was, ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ co-starring Denzel
Washington.In this movie, we saw and
heard from Whitney where it started for her, gospel.It was public knowledge that she started
singing in her local church in Newark, NJ.It was a very inspirational film and allowed the world to embrace this
side to her was so special.
Speaking of inspirational, her
new film ‘Sparkle’, which is a remake of the 1976 of the same name. Whitney was
one of the producers with the film along with Bishop T. D. Jakes and it will (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679043/whitney-houston-sparkle.jhtml).Jakes wrote in a statement, “At the apex of her career, Whitney had no peer, with a voice
that shaped a generation.” She has left behind a musical and film legacy that
will endure.
Needless to say, her music and voice are most legendary and the music
industry has yet to see another artist such as Whitney with a voice like hers.
As of the night of her passing many fans were purchasing digital copies
of her greatest hits including "I Will Always Love You" which ran for
14 weeks on the Billboard's top 100. Let's never forget 'That Voice'.
