Mos Def, Stokely, Ledisi & Bilal perform in Houston

Underground Soul Sessions Part 2 - The Callabo

Mainetain for Got Soul Sessions

Houston's Arena Theatre once again was the site for Underground Soul Sessions 2 -“The Collabo” featuring Mos Def, Ledisi, Bilal, Stokley from Mint Condition, Houston artists Caretta Bell and Neon Collars. If you missed this show we are sorry for you because it’s unlikely you will ever see all these artists on the same stage again.

In an industry saturated with so called “r&b divas”, the soulful, Caretta Bell was a very appropriate and refreshing opening act. Caretta, a prominent figure in Houston’s burgeoning underground soul movement warmed the crowd with songs from her debut album, Love’s Eye View. Her skillfully smooth and melodic vocals flowed effortlessly with jazzy, soulful infusions laced with hip hop. What takes many artists years to attain, Caretta naturally posses a gift of controlled vocals and stage presence to match. Be on the look out for Caretta to shine on the national and international stage as she’s one of the best artist out of Houston or the South period in a long time.

Another surprising artist out of Houston, Neon Collars took the stage following Caretta. They performed several songs from their debut cd, Chasing Strange with a convincing blend of hip-hop, soul and rock. Houston artists definitely represented well as they built anticipation for the headliners.

Stokely was the first to take the stage backed by an all star band of several members based out of Houston. As was expected Stokely teased the crowd with his signature sultry vocals. He performed, Walked on by” with local hip hop artist Kay. He quickly introduced Bilal who sang 2 songs before passing the mic to Ledisi. The jazzy songstress played with the crowd and band almost as if it were a rehearsal. She went back and forth between her freestyles and scats to even a few verses of Tina Marie’s “Out on a Limb” before introducing Mos Def.

Mos Def thanked the crowd for coming out and went right into one of his more recent songs. For a brief moment I almost forgot what an incredible MC he is until he opened his mouth to speak. With such a smooth and rhythmic flow Mos again reminded everyone that music and hip hop are still his passion and foundation for all his success beyond these realms. With the crowd on the edge of their seats begging for more, Mos Def exited the staged promising everyone that he was sure to return.

After a brief intermission, Stokely once again graced the stage and launched into his infamous, “Single to Mingle” where he played with the crowd and experimented with the band. Going back and forth with all the musicians as if he himself was an instrument, Stokley went into a scat that displayed how truly talented he is. He was later joined on stage by Ledisi who scatted with him until the band went into her hit “Alright”. Towards the end of her song Stokely called Bilal back to the stage who helped Ledisi finish her song. The band then started playing Bilal’s “Reminisce” as Mos Def returned to the stage. By this time they all had mics and Ledisi and Stokely provided background vocals for Bilal as Mos Def went into his verse.

With three of the most talented singers in the industry as his background vocals, Mos Def went into a jazzy rendition of his hit, “Ms. Fat Booty” which wowed the crowd. As if “Ms. Fat Booty” wasn’t enough, he concluded with a remix of his anthem, “Umi Says” which the crowd and likely everyone in the building sang along. To conclude they all introduced themselves again along with the band and thanked everyone for coming. True music fans were really the ones who should have been thanking them for coming because we were the ones privileged to have witnessed an incredible collaboration of great artists.