Soul Expressions at Zanzibar

So I am still sad about the loss of the Temple Bar but I must say Zanzibar is doing a pretty good job of filling at least part of the void. Every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month is Soul Expressions at Zanzibar, and yours truly was TRULY enjoying herself there this past weekend.

This particular event was thrown in honor of the Obama inauguration and was hosted by Ms. Keisha Nicole of 93.5 KDAY. (No hate on the close proximity of the name girlfriend, us in the "Nicole" family of divas must stick together.) I went because one of my dear friends, Ife, was a featured performer of the night. Oh man, I may not have enough room to talk about Ife. I'll start with the fact that she is a gorgeous soul singer. Gorgeous+soulful+singer. What more do you need?? She was my friend first, capturing me with a gracious and loving spirit. Then she invited me to a show and I couldn't help myself, I became a fan. Not only does she have an amazing voice (her MySpace describes her as a "young Sade meets Lean Horne for the new millennium...") but she is an incredible songwriter, leaving you with tunes you catch yourself humming for days. If Ife is performing you probably won't find me at any other venue in town, and she has plenty of shows coming up, so check the tour schedule and come support!!!

The house band, going by the name of "The Signature" I believe, warmed up the crowd with their laid back rendition of "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The first notes rang out of Mr. Francois Dean, commanding that the crowd put down their drinks and pay attention to the stage. I was sitting and chatting with a bunch of my peeps but as soon as the notes dripped from his vocal chords I shot up and was front and center. Mr. Dean accompanied himself on piano and I couldn't decide what was better - the dexterity in his voice or that which was in his fingertips, but I didn't care. He was channeling Stevie Wonder and I was savoring every moment. A bassist (yippee!!), drummer, guitarist (with a Mohawk no less), and one more singer made up the rest of "The Signature," and their train could not be stopped.

The crown of the evening was the headliner, HOPP or H.O.P.P., a self-professed personal politician for Hip-Hop. At first, this is a funny name because politician? Really? The guy bounced around stage with the energy of an elementary school kid at recess on the playground. I will admit that there are not many new hip-hop artists that capture my attention these days, but this guy had me smiling and waving my hands like no one was watching. And everyone felt the same way I did. It was almost as if it the grown folks were surprised they could be drawn in by this young cat. And...AND...to top it off, I listened closely and the guy actually had some interesting things to say, hence, the politician. He shouts out God on stage like that's his homey. He aches for change. And he likes to have fun. That's my kind of hip-hop artist, or any artist for that matter. Go 'head HOPP, I believe your deal is waiting for you around the corner.

Sigh...a good night. Live music makes me feel like anything is possible. And I know you are sad when I'm reviewing a show I've already been to, so to make it up to you, here's a juicy jazz show coming up next Tuesday night. This show will feature one of my very best friends, a girl that goes back in the day with me to the land of Jerzee, a land far far away from sun and palm trees, but home nonetheless. Her name is Melissa Morgan and she's not one to miss. Here are the details, we are trying to fill the spot:

Tuesday, Jan. 27th, 8:30pm

Dakota Lounge

1026 Wilshire Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Say you are there for Melissa Morgan!

Phew, what a night. I keep livin' and lovin' life musically. : )