Reader Submission: Go2-Girl (Birmingham, Alabama)

SWAC Soul Lounge 12-13-2008

Hey hey hey BamaLoveSoul family! So you ask me:"Go2-Girl, how was the SWAC NeoSoul concert?" Well let me tell you in three words: WON-DER-FUL!!! Yes, people, with a line-up like Carl Thomas, Dwele, and Marsha Ambrosius (1 half of Floetry) you just can't lose and if you missed out....shame on you and give me back your neosoul card! Alrighty, the show starts off with Joe Clair (you remember him from RapCity in the 90's right??) actually being quite humorous. He held it down with some jokes here and there in the beginning, between musical acts, and the end. Now to the meat of this whole review.

Carl Thomas was up first...he didn't hesitate to get started and deep into his set. I'll tell you, for a 45min set he puts on a very intense show! You could really tell that he's in this music thing for the love of his fans. Some of the tunes he performed were: Make It Alright, The Baby Maker, Emotional, Summer Rain, and (the household favorite) I Wish. Now one thing that had us all baffled during his set was this robust woman kept coming out on stage playing the butler role by handing Carl a towel, picking up his towel if and when he dropped it, handing him another towel, picking up his towel if and when he dropped it, and...you get my drift! Come to find out, that was his sister...awwww! Employing family members can be a cool thing but at least let them know to NOT come onstage every other second! Other than that, Carl's set was good.

Second up was Dwele (my main reason for even showing up!!) Let me say this: I've been down with Dwele since I heard his vocals on Bahamadia's BB Queen, a great ep I might add. Anyway, Dwele's set was phenomenal...people told me after the show that they enjoyed his set very much! They came there to see Carl Thomas and left Dwele fans which made me smile so much inside because that dude deserves some shine! The songs he did: Flapjacks, Find a Way, A Pimp's Dream, Cheatin, and ended his set with Feels So Good. Dwele interacted with the crowd by getting off the stage and dancing with a few ladies...and yes I was one of them! Dwele's show was intimate and groovy; a great show. I'm only sad that his set wasn't longer, but that's just my biased opinion. ;)

Last, but certainly not least, Ms. Marsha Ambrosius aka the songbird from the group Floetry. She's doing her own thing now and doing it sexy! Her voice makes you think of making love no matter what song she sings. Super talented songstress and songwriter, she brought a certain flair to the concert that couldn't have been attained by anyone else. She sang Butterflies, Say Yes, Sunshine, Getting Late, and (one of her own songs) CoStar. Her set was jam-packed with love, old school hip hop, and just all around good times! She's standing alone, yet standing strong! She's now signed to the Aftermath label so be on the lookout for her! All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely and would definitely pay to see them all again. Also, check out these artists' myspace pages and support them...if we don't support then who will?? Go2-Girl (g2girlie@gmail.com) out.