Concert in your area for R&B, Funk & Soul, Hip-Hop, Pop, and Folk & Blues.
Son of jazz cellist Adbul Wadud and cousin of singer Chrisette Michele, DeVaughn has lots of musical blood, however even in pre-school DeVaughn’s mother said he had an affinity towards music. After graduating from high school, DeVaughn attended Coppin State University in Baltimore City, U.S., and began harmonising with a group of street corner singers, and it wasn't long before he began skipping classes to write and record lyrics.
After winning a talent competition at the Washington DC nightclub named Bar Nun, CEO of Soul World Entertainment Cliff Jones asked DeVaughn to write a song for soul quartet Dru Hill. In doing so the singer caught the attention of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Roc-A-Fella A&R guy Kenny Burns which led to DeVaughn being signed by Jive Records in 2002.
After the successful single releases of “Guess Who Loves You More” and “You” DeVaughn released his major label debut “The Love Experience” on June 28, 2005. The album received critical acclaim, sold around 250,000 copies and reached No. 46 in the Billboard 200.
The music of DeVaughn has been compared to that of Dwele, D’Angelo and Marvin Gaye, with his mix of R&B, neo-soul and soft rock.
DeVaughn’s follow-up album “Love Behind the Melody” was his biggest charting hit, which peaked at No. 5 in the Billboard 200. The album also produced the song “Woman” was the singer’s most commercially successful ingle and was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Male R&B Performance in 2008. The R&B singer’s two subsequent albums “The Love & War MasterPeace”, which received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album and the independently released “A Place Called Love Land” both charted well, and secured DeVaughn’s position in the R&B mainstream.
Last night I was fortunate enough to see Raheem Devaughn and company at a local concert hall. There isn't anything quite like good, live rhythm and blues music to soothe the soul. Raheem's deep lyrics and passionate voice really encapsulates the essence of soul music. The harmony between him and his backup singers was fantastic. They can vocalize so well in a group and really fill the room with a divine sound.
I've always been a fan of his music because of how relevant the lyrics are to the real struggles in life. He hit the nail on the head with Until - almost bringing me to tears because of the vivid image he created for the entire crowd. I think everyone can appreciate the raw talent of Raheem. He's truly gifted and has a great band at his side. Their use of bongo drums, wind chimes, and no produced effects shows his dedication to creating a real soul experience with a modern touch. The rest of the audience was delighted by the performance, and my date especially enjoyed the music because it was "something she could dance to." I think anyone who can make real music that you can dance to is someone definitely worth seeing, so check Raheem Devaughn out if you get a chance!!
Coming from a family of musicians, it’s easy to be overshadowed by another family member, but Alejandro Escovedo broke free of this trap at a young age when he made a break into the singer/songwriter scene. Starting out as a member in a band, Escovedo has had extensive experience performing with other musicians, which was evident in his performance with the way that he interacted with his own band onstage.
He opened the show with the track Sally Was a Cop, which as a slow track, got everyone moving to the front of the auditorium to sing along and wave their arms in the air in appreciation of the music. After the song he stopped to introduce himself and the band and had a bit of a chat with the audience. He mentioned his collaborations with Ryan Adams, which had everyone cheering, and he even played Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight for everyone.
Seeing him play his acoustic solo set was wonderful as his vocal and instrumental talents were equally balanced, and it was great for us as an audience to really appreciate the skill involved in his musicianship. His backing vocalists, guitarists, and drummer were also phenomenal musicians, and the way that they created an additional depth to Escovedo’s sound was a wonderful touch to the performance.