Summerfest 2006 is Here!

The City Hall Summerfest is all this weekend, sponsored by J&R Music World. If you’re downtown and want to hear music you won’t hear on the radio as often as you should, then head over to City Hall Park and check it out. The Summerfest runs from 3 days, all afternoon from Thursday to Saturday (June 15th-June 17th).

Thursday’s opener is Jeannie Ortega. She’s a young Puerto Rican girl from Bushwick who’s more than just a pretty face with a good voice. She does all her own songwriting, and wants to show off the tracks she’s laying down for her debut, No Place Like Brooklyn. Ortega’s mix of soul and hip-hop sounds create something that’s pretty, but still street. Big players like N.O.R.E. and underground sensations like Papoose both do guest spots on her album. Check her out and see why they’re into her. You’ll understand why you should be, too.

Raheem DeVaughn goes on after her. His hit single from last year, “Guess Who Loves You More,” is still getting played at the clubs, but he’ll be showing off the new songs from his album, The Love Experience. The album is a throwback to all the classic soul jams we all grew up with — he borrows a little bit from Curtis Mayfield, a little from Prince, a piece of Earth Wind & Fire, Then he puts them all together, creating his own unique sound that still feels like an old-school hit.

The first day of Summerfest closes out with Donell Jones, one of the most unique R&B/soul performers around today. Jones doesn’t sound like anyone else out there — his music is all melodies and hooks, with bits and pieces taken from just about every style out there. His low-key singing and mix of music styles create a vibe that’s fun and sexy.

Friday’s first performace is by regional star Paula Campbell. Born and raised in Baltimore, she produced a club hit in ‘03, “How Does It Feel?” Since then, she’s been on stage with hardcore gangsta MCs and Kanye West - impressing audiences & DJs alike with smooth, pillowy singing that has a slight edge to it.

Next up is Tye Tribbett, whom you’ve probably heard on hip-hop and R&B tracks before. He’s put his voice to work for everyone from Timbaland and Common to Faith Hill and even Sting. Here, he’s doing all his own material. There are touches of jazz and hip-hop to his work, but it’s still that great old-fashioned Gospel sound, set to modern, pulsing beats.

Friday closes with Jagged Edge, the bad boys of R&B. Their tight harmonies and R&B beats are an interesting crossover between classic soul and hip-hop. The group plays it both ways, writing songs that touch on their lover-man style *AND* their street-hood, ghetto style. They go from being sensitive to being roughnecks from song to song, showing both halves of modern urban music and trying to find a balance between them.

Saturday opens up with Janita, a chanteuse from Finland whose voice draws comparisons to everyone from Basia to Amerie. Her silky-smooth jazz vocals work incredibly well with her restrained, jazzy arrangements — together they create a quietly powerful, wispy sound that works great as an antidote to New York’s blaring car horns, sirens and street chatter.

The second act is Groove Collective, one of the funkiest live bands you could ever see. They’re a 14-piece band whose freewheeling mix of jazz and funk gets your butt shaking. The songs go from high-energy dance grooves to mellow, quieter jazzy stylings, but they touch on dozens of other sounds — from Jamaican dancehall and trip-hop to Fela Kuti-style African pop.

After them we’ll get to see one of the up-and-comers of hip-hop: Rhymefest. This Chicago native was one of the few rappers to beat Eminem in a freestyle duel, and he co-wrote “Jesus Walks” with Kanye West. He’s still working on his first solo album, Blue Collar, but what we’ve heard so far is pretty tight. It’s got some thumping beats, a bit of clever scratching, touches of R&B singing and rhymes that talk about everything from going postal, to cheating girlfriends, to calling in sick to work. Rhymefest might have the underground hit of ‘06, so try to catch him now before he blows up.

RHYMEFEST - DYNOMITE

• Rhymefest Dynomite (REAL AUDIO)
• Rhymefest Dynomite (WINDOWS MEDIA)

RHYMEFEST - BRAND NEW featuring KANYE WEST

• Rhymefest Brand New (QUICKTIME)
• Rhymefest Brand New (WINDOWS MEDIA)
• Rhymefest Brand New (REAL AUDIO)

The Summerfest end on a high note: Real old-school soul done by one of the masters. Ben E. King will be bringing the curtain down on an excellent set of performers.. Everyone’s heard him sing “Stand By Me”, a song so classic it was a hit twice — once in the ’60s, then again in the mid-80s. King has also written and performed a number of lesser-known soul hits: “Tears, Tears, Tears”, “I Who Have Nothing”, “What is Soul?”, “Supernatural Thing” and many more. King’s powerful voice and moving arrangement will make listeners understand why it’s called “soul” music.

This entry was posted by A.Rehak on Tuesday, June 13th, 2006 at 10:28 am