The population density of the venue had the temperature already on hotter-than-July, but it raised to about mid-August when the band and the man of the hour hit the stage. For the next hour-and-some-change, he created a vivid illustration of life through his acoustic soul, his emotional vocal delivery, and his musical arrangements. If you were there I know you felt the energy along the way; maybe it was during his upbeat jams like Georgia Peach, or his slick-talk on Spittin Game. Maybe you were feelin the bluesy, unplugged segment of the show, fighting an addiction on Cold Turkey, or fighting himself on Cheatin’ Man. Nestled in the back of the venue, the band brought to life the depth of his lyrics and the power of the melodies, especially during jams like Kinfolk and that immaculate guitar rift on Somethin About You. For a fan like me, the best attribute of the show was that it was free-flowing, and David took his time to please his audience, performing earlier works that were fan favorites like Ms. Arie’s Can You Be A Part of My Life, and Krooked Kop. The show closed with Words, the duet with India.Arie, which displays a perfect match of tones and style. Any two people can sing together, but this duet is simply a musical masterpiece.

If you don’t have the album, Acey Ducey, I highly recommend it for the R&B/Soul listener. It’s a nice blend of his acoustic works from Three Chords and The Truth and his jam sessions on The Red Clay Chronicles. The bluesy blend of emotional lyrics and artistic sounds brings to life a southern style of soul that is simple yet striking. Highlights include Spittin’ Game, Lady, and Cheatin’ Man. As the first artist from India.Arie's Songbird Records, he has set the tone for more artists and musicians to come up through the ranks and leave a mark on the world. There are definitely more than three chords on Acey Ducey, and it’s still the truth…

-Mack-