You can call her a songwriter extraordinaire, producer, wife, mother, and even an
R&B phenom, but I'm sure she would just rather you call her Kelly. It's been four
years since Kelly Price's last studio album (2006's This Is Who I Am), but just because
she's been out of sight, doesn't mean she's out of mind. With her new self-titled
CD Kelly on the way, she exhibits a voice that is as rich and as powerful as we remember, and this past Saturday night in Newark, NJ she wowed a packed house with a short but soulfully sweet set.
Center
She greeted her fans at the Key Club as one
would greet an old friend by hugging some and laughing with others. She was clear
in letting her fans know that this album embodied her in every way. With her first
song, she gave direction to the audience, particularly to the ladies by saying: "If
you can relate, sing along! If I come to a part of the song that speaks to you, let 'em
know!" And so it began with her GRAMMY-nominated hit "Tired."
With her next contribution, "Not My Daddy," her duet with Stokley of Mint Condition,
she let the audience know that besides coming there to sing and open herself up to
them, she needed them to open their ears to her. With that, she took her seat on
the stage, closed her eyes and quietly began mouthing the words to the song as the
audience took it all in.
The last of her three-song set came in the form of an uptempo joint, "And U Don't
Stop." Her smile widened, her eyes danced, and the audience loved it! Kelly Price is
a woman substance, and this performance was clearly just a small showing of the
great things to come. Look for the highly-anticipated release of Kelly on March 27th.
