"Only, We Together," Real Love: a Tribute to the Music of Mary J. Blige at Fifth Floor

 

Singers Zee Underscore, LeShea Wright, Just Angel

Over the expectant bass riff of Mary J. Blige’s “What’s the 411,” Stephonne Singleton, the visionary organizer behind “Real Love: A Tribute to the Music of Mary J. Blige,” offered heartfelt sentiments about the show’s participants, the audience, and the problems that led to its original postponement.  

Then he said this: 

 “My mom is in the house tonight!” He looked up, and the house turned to see where she was, giving a brief wave from the head of one of the Fifth Floor’s long tables. 

 “I grew up on Mary because of her love for Mary, and I saw my mom go through a lot. A few artists truly captured it and helped her keep on keeping on. MJB was one of those artists.  

 “My dad was not about MJB,” Singleton laughed. “But my mom blared her music anyways, and I think she used the songs to communicate feelings that she didn’t have the time to speak or argue about. My parents talked through music a lot, and it’s why music has always spoken so clearly to me.”  

Stephonne Singleton

 In that summary of the Mary J Blige thread in his childhood, Singleton said worlds about the role of music in our lives, certainly that movement of women in hip hop & R&B, inspired by soul, that kicked off around the time of Janet Jackson’s Control and changed the look and sound of music forever, artists Singleton’s series of tributes so far have highlighted—Sade, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu.  

This writer became known among my friends for following that music, in large part because that music spoke for my marriage and for my wife at the time, even if she didn’t know it. I needed to hear some things, and the music made sure that I did. From cleaning the kitchen to carrying forward a protest, music has countless uses. Sometimes, it opens whole worlds of new perspectives to the listener, like a child picking up on what parents leave unspoken.  

One thing music does most naturally, so much so that we take it for granted, is create a magical connection between people who may have no idea how much they have in common outside of such moments. The Real Love tribute was a timeless cascade of just those kinds of connections. 

The song selection was perfect in its way, honing in on the music from Blige’s first five studio albums, with one absolutely necessary leap forward to 2006’s The Breakthrough, the music that is absolutely core to the women (and men) who grew up with Blige, and when I say “grew up,” I mean primarily young adults growing older tackling whatever the world threw at them. 21 when her first record came out, Blige has always made tough music for tough times. Perhaps the highest praise I can make for the show is that it knew how much we need that music right here, right now. 

Arias, Rell, and Copridge

Singleton found a crack band for the occasion— T.A. Rell on drums (who Singleton credited with the arrangements and direction of the show). Clarence Copridge on that oh-so-crucial bass and keys, and the brilliantly understated Zachary Arias on guitar. Blige earned that Queen of Hip Hop Soul title for good reason, and this band delivered precisely what each moment needed, starting with the propulsive bounce of “Real Love,” sung by a shining powerhouse of talent named LeShea Wright, or simply LeShea. Regina Del Carmen then leant her expressive alto to “Sweet Thing,” and, in a jersey, ball cap, and torn jeans, Jass evoked brilliant B-Girl energy for “Love No Limit.”  

Jass

An instrumental version of My Life’s “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” introduced the show’s second movement, the first lead vocal from Just Angel on “Be Without You.” (LeShea, Just Angel, and Marlin Cortez served backing vocals for all others throughout the night.) Just Angel’s modest but powerful approach landed the weight of that song’s core declaration: “I’ve been too strong for too long.”  LeShea’s “My Life” followed, doubling down on Blige’s singular power as a voice for those too little heard or understood.

Singleton seized the moment: “That song y’all! Did you feel that? ‘If you looked at my life and seen what I’ve seen…’ We all have a sum of so many different lived experiences and we are carrying them around and making the best we can out of them. Not all of us make it under that weight. It is important to acknowledge that we truly have no idea what our neighbor has had to go through or what they carry.”

The show’s climactic movement started with yet another feature, Zee Underscore, singing the great “I’m Goin’ Down.” Then Stephonne (now the singer, who often uses only his first name) came to the stage as a vocalist on “I Can Love You.” LeShea led Just Angel and Cortez through an exuberant version of “Seven Days,” followed again by Stephonne with “Sexy.” This movement closed with “Share My World,” the extraordinary title track of Blige’s first album without Sean Combs and with what still feels like a glimpse of new possibility.

As the show drew to a close, Stephonne said, “We’ve found ourselves in a lot of fuckery as a country haven’t we? Well, I’m here to tell you that only we, together, will find our way out.” Zee Underscore led the rest on the anthem for how many of us are feeling, “No More Drama.” Then Stephonne closed the show with everyone singing, “You’re All I Need.” That moment, and the entirety of the show, proved there’s nothing more powerful (and hopeful) than unity found through truth, especially when its sung through such a night of boundless passion and joy.'

In the finale, Cortez moves the crowd

More from the terrific artists featured above:

https://www.stephonne.com/

https://zeeunderscore.com/

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/regina-del-carmen/1477634287

https://www.facebook.com/lesheaw/

https://www.itsjustangel.com/