Luke James singing Marvin Gaye and Emily King as Tammi Terrell were gettin' it on last night, singing and rockin' in the outstanding Marvin Gaye tribute at the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall, all the while tantalizing each other with "Your Precious Love" while the audience clicked their fingers in time with the music.
With a 360-degree spin while he squatted, James awed the audience with more than song.
With sensual fast choreography of fancy dips, dives and moves, James' and King's duet got me so hot I had to remove my jacket. Indeed, their "precious love" was sent from above for the crowd!
They were just two of the stunning stars who sang Gaye's hits for the sold-out audience who moved and grooved at the show What's Going On Now in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Gaye's album of the same name.
Leading the National Symphony was the energetic principal pops conductor Steven Reineke, another crowd favorite, who performed, too, happy as those lucky enough to get seats for the sold-out show.
He swayed and smiled all night with the other Grammy artists Joshua Henry, Cory Henry, Michelle Williams, and Bilal who all seemed honored to be on stage, part of the knockout set singing and moving with each other to Gaye's enormously enduring tunes captured on the album ranked Number One in 2020 by Rolling Stone of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Joshua Henry and King got the night rolling with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" followed by "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with Henry's mastery of the high notes like those of a soprano.
Back and forth in the first half of duets, the males took turns to sing with either Williams or King the enduring Gaye-Terrell songs like "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," "You're All I Need to Get By," and "California Soul."
The second half of the show was reserved for more serious lyrics and solos ("Inner City Blues" was one), joined by the Symphony's basses and cellos brought to stage left for the evening's title "What's Going On" which James delivered in authentic Gaye style.
Cory Henry accompanied himself on piano in "God is Love." And there was more.
Members of the National Symphony seemed to love it all, too, smiling and pumping their feet. The bongo musician never stopped; the sax players' and flutist's seating on the front row, facing the audience, emphasized their key roles.
Rounding out the night was a trio of backup singers who never left the stage.
Except for Williams and James in bright tangerine and red, most of those onstage were decked in black. Or, sparkly jeans (James). And orange (Cory Henry).
Between some numbers, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the Kennedy Center's social impact director, offered commentary echoed by poets and writers like Antonio Malik, dressed in a bright yellow suit, and Sasa AAkil who came on stage and, with a soft piano background, recited works reflective of the sad times in which we live, but where there's life, there's hope for better days.
Gaye's prescient "Mercy, Mercy Me" about the deplorable state of the environment penned 50 years ago was not to be forgotten with lyrics still ringing true today:
Woah, ah, mercy, mercy meAh, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)Where did all the blue skies go?Poison is the wind that blowsFrom the north and south and eastWoah mercy, mercy me, yeahAh, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seasFish full of mercuryOh Jesus, yeah, mercy, mercy me, ahAh, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)Radiation underground and in the skyAnimals and birds who live nearby are dyingHey, mercy, mercy me, ohHey, things ain't what they used to beWhat about this overcrowded land?How much more abuse from man can she stand?
Wikipedia quotes Gaye :
In 1969 or 1970, I began to re-evaluate my whole concept of what I wanted my music to say ... I was very much affected by letters my brother was sending me from Vietnam, as well as the social situation here at home. I realized that I had to put my own fantasies behind me if I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world.
What a night! And a memory! My only regret is my lack of a ticket for tonight's show, another sellout, to hear the songs of a hometown boy who done good.
patricialesli@gmail.com
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