X Urban Music Magazine Preview issue Vol 1 | Page 10

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Anthony Alden

KELLY

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he “Pied Piper” R. Kelly, who earlier this summer, earned critical acclaim with his eleventh studio album, “Write Me Back Now”, embarked on a nationwide tour in its support. The 30 city major tour found Kelly making performances coast to coast with one being here in Columbus, Ohio. I entered Veterans Memorial Auditorium through the stage entrance. Parked outside were four trailers and five luxury motor coach homes, each assembled with the production team needed to pull this tour off. I was both amazed and impressed. Before Kelly hit the stage, six-time Grammy Award nominated soulful songstress Tamia Hill brought to center stage her beauty, personality and poise. A five-piece band backed her up for a night of slow burning performances. Her five–octave range garnished hits “So into You”, “Stranger In My House”, “Missing You” and “Me”. Needless to say, she was a beautiful addition to the tour. My favorite, “You Put a Move on My Heart”, broke the stagger as the crowd roared and sang along to the heartbreakingly real lyrics. Tamia’s extraordinary jazz soprano voice has a spiritual, neo-soul feel that leaves you looking forward to her next XUMM | Preview Issue 10

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rendition. Tamia gave a five star performance, which explains why she still ranks so highly on the R&B chart.

after song, like an iPod on shuffle, with a few memorable hits. He would sample the intro, tease you with a few verses and move on to the next hit skipping to a new song every 30 seconds. With slow jam classics like “12 Play”,