Tuesday night I had the opportunity to attend a showcase for our latest Bounce-Worthy artist, Laura Izibor. The event was put on by Atlantic Records and held at the legendary Bohemian Caverns in Washington, DC. Prior to that evening I had heard a few tracks from her upcoming album, Let the Truth Be Told, which were all enjoyable songs. I figured that seeing her live performance would be a great way to find out if she was the real deal and worthy of further attention on SoulBounce. Well, not only is Laura Izibor the real thing, she is poised to become the next big thing. I was truly unprepared for what she did on stage that night and how impressive her material is. She played the keyboard--with a pinky injury that had her in the hospital all night prior, mind you--and sang like a seasoned professional and not a new jack to the music scene.

Despite an extended wait that had many in the crowded club anxious for the show to start, once she finally took the stage she warmed the audience up by opening with her current single "From My Heart To Yours" and quickly let us know that this wasn't a game.



At first I thought it was odd that she opened with her most known song, which is usually the track that artists close their sets with. But this decision turned out to be a good move because as the night progressed, the material only got better. It didn't even matter that the songs were new to the majority in attendance because by the end of each track folks were fully into each song, with some even singing along. You might hear some extra backup singers in this video of her next track, "Don't Stay," which was my favorite performance of the night.



She followed 'Don't Stay" up with the mid-tempo inspirational track "Shine," then segued into the rousing love song "If Tonight Was My Last," my second favorite performance of the night. 



After slowing it down, Laura kicked it into high gear with the funky "Nothing At All" and the hip hop flavored "Gracefully." Both songs allowed Laura to get up from the piano and make good use of the stage. She followed those uptempo numbers with more slow jams: "What Would You Do," "I Want You Back," and "Mmm." Laura ended her concert as strong as she started it with her final song, "Yes (I'll Be Your Baby)." 



Yes, indeed. After seeing Laura Izibor perform and witnessing her artistry in motion, I am officially a believer and am anxiously awaiting her CD Let the Truth Be Told to be released in April. If her live show is any indication, then this disc will be the first of many more to come from this amazing talent.  

Laura Izibor [Official][MySpace]

[Photo: Kimberly Hines/Butta]