by ALEX RAWLS
As a coach on NBC’s talent competition “The Voice,” Usher Raymond was a calm, self-possessed presence as he coached the young singers on Team Usher. Saturday night in the Smoothie King Center, Usher was a physical force first, a singer second for much of the show, but that centered quality still ran through the night.
He set the tone for the show when he walked onstage with a theatrically loose stroll, then erupted in a quick, impressive flurry of steps and spins to open “My Way” and the concert. Moments later during “OMG,” two light panels descended from above to light Usher with a strobe as he danced, creating a stop-motion effect.
He presented himself as a physical spectacle, one who owes an obvious debt to Michael Jackson in his moves and his ideas about how to present them. But Usher has developed his own style that often looks as though parts of his body are moving independently to create a wave motion in his feet and legs, or up to his chest and out his arms. He wore a black jacket, an oversized black T-shirt, black pants and big, puffy red hightops.
When he finally stopped to speak to the audience after the first 10 or so minutes of the show, he welcomed the predominantly female crowd to “The UR Experience,” a reference to his yet-to-be-released new album.
Material from that project factored minimally in the set, however. Instead, he played a greatest-hits show and celebrated 20 years since the release of his self-titled debut album. That seemed to be just fine with the audience, which was slightly older and — if Usher’s call for married people to scream real loud can be trusted — more settled than many arena-show audiences.
Perhaps as a result, the audience was just as excited, if not more so, when Usher segued out of the high-energy club bangers that opened the show and became more domestic. These songs dealt with relationships, even “I Don’t Mind,” which takes an adult perspective on dating a stripper.
For that middle part of the show, Usher the dancer took a back seat to Usher the singer, and it became clear that he had plenty to offer contestants on “The Voice.” He was dramatic in his final crescendo during “Climax,” and he stripped “There Goes My Baby” down to electric piano, percussion, Spanish guitar and backing vocalists.
In both cases, he was authoritative and emotionally connected to the songs and the audience. Still, when he stopped to talk about relationships, saying, “Sometimes you have to go through something to get to something,” there was a patness to the wisdom that contradicted the way he moves.
Read More: http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/11018540-123/usher-dances-sings-connects-with
Source: theneworleansadvocate / ALEX RAWLS / MJ-Upbeat.com
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