Hi 71 / Lo 64
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Volume 71, Issue 66,
Friday, December 2, 2005
Life & Arts Dwele proves popularity does not make the artist By Brandon Hendricks
In today's culture of mushroom artists -- here today, gone tomorrow -- conforming to what's hot becomes more than a survival tactic. It takes more than talent for record labels to gamble on artists with their own individual styles and directions. This is something that Virgin Records artist Dwele (Swahili for "God has brought me") has successfully pulled off. The Detroit native kept heads bobbin' Wednesday night at the Engine Room, 1515 Pease St., with his laid back style and stage presence. Dwele was in Houston promoting his sophomore album Some Kinda ..., which was released in early October. The packed crowd got a taste of Dwele's sultry mix of jazz, soul, hip-hop and funk. After a half-hour sound check, restless fans got more than what they expected. It was obvious those attending had a clear understanding of the vibe Dwele brings because there was a fairly large crowd in attendance for such a poorly promoted show. Dwele blessed the stage with songs from both of his solo releases -- Subject and Some Kinda ... -- and 1998 independent release Rize, which created an underground buzz about the artist. The crowd was more than satisfied by Dwele's decision to prolong the show by singing crowd favorites. Dwele also showed he can make more than baby-making music by performing "My People," a song not included on Some Kinda ... because of political controversies about the war in Iraq. Although categorized as a neo-soul artist, Dwele said, "Music is what I do and who I am." As the night ended, the only low point was realizing that non-mainstream artists like Dwele, who are more than just hype, rarely reach higher parts of the musical atmosphere simply because of what makes them who they are -- their music. Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu |
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