Marsha Ambrosius on stage at O2 Indigo, London The very talented singer-songwriter Marsha Ambrosius has achieved a great deal since starting out in Liverpool, England. Together with poet Natalie Stewart, the London based duo formed the group Floetry and headed Stateside where they caught the attention of the American r&b industry. After releasing 2 critically acclaimed albums they went their separate ways, but not before the skill of Marsha's songwriting spread to other artists, most notably Michael Jackson who recorded her composition 'Butterflies' for his 'Invincible' album. In terms of the music biz, Ms Ambrosius had truly arrived. Now flying solo, her debut album 'Late Nights & Early Mornings' (released in 2011) reached the top of the US R&B Album Charts and this highly respected lady is now finding herself performing at such prestigious as The White House for President Obama, as she quite happily told the audience at the O2 Indigo. Indeed, she can also be seen in the current hit Hollywood movie, 'The Best Man Holiday' singing a version of the Stevie Wonder classic 'As' with soul man Anthony Hamilton. Top class company indeed.
Tonight however, Marsha is on home turf back in England, which obviously pleases her no end, if her demeanour and chatty attitude throughout the night is anything to go by. Backed by a solid 4 man band, including a dj, Marsha opened the show, with perhaps a nod of acknowledgement to another UK black female whose talent shines ever so brightly, by singing a cool assured version of Sade's 'Stronger Than Pride', even adding a slight reggae feel in the process. The strong reception she receives puts her at ease, whether standing up with microphone in hand or later on seated at the keyboards. Before performing one of her newer tracks 'Friends And Lovers' she addresses the crowd with the familiarity and, I might add, the timing of a stand up comic. Breaking down the content of the song she asks the crowd if is really possible to be friends and lovers? As she puts it in her funny and blunt tone"Can you and someone you've known as a friend for years, you know a person who has seen you at your worst....can you two really..... fuck?". Marsha seems to relish getting X-rated as much her audience. After all most of her material is soul drenched music with a definite sexy flavour.
And here is where it gets interesting. Throughout her classy sexy set Marsha between songs would launch into what was happening in her world and give advice, sometimes at the same time. Her raunchy no nonsense, yet comedic approach reminded me very much of the 70's soul singer Miller Jackson, whose 1974 'Caught Up' album raised many eyebrows at the time with its truth and honesty regarding relationships. She was often accused of being 'potty-mouthed', when all she did in fact was talk about the real deal between men and women, using language usually heard from a man. At the time she was fresh and funny, as is Ms Ambrosious tonight!
Tonight however, Marsha is on home turf back in England, which obviously pleases her no end, if her demeanour and chatty attitude throughout the night is anything to go by. Backed by a solid 4 man band, including a dj, Marsha opened the show, with perhaps a nod of acknowledgement to another UK black female whose talent shines ever so brightly, by singing a cool assured version of Sade's 'Stronger Than Pride', even adding a slight reggae feel in the process. The strong reception she receives puts her at ease, whether standing up with microphone in hand or later on seated at the keyboards. Before performing one of her newer tracks 'Friends And Lovers' she addresses the crowd with the familiarity and, I might add, the timing of a stand up comic. Breaking down the content of the song she asks the crowd if is really possible to be friends and lovers? As she puts it in her funny and blunt tone"Can you and someone you've known as a friend for years, you know a person who has seen you at your worst....can you two really..... fuck?". Marsha seems to relish getting X-rated as much her audience. After all most of her material is soul drenched music with a definite sexy flavour.
And here is where it gets interesting. Throughout her classy sexy set Marsha between songs would launch into what was happening in her world and give advice, sometimes at the same time. Her raunchy no nonsense, yet comedic approach reminded me very much of the 70's soul singer Miller Jackson, whose 1974 'Caught Up' album raised many eyebrows at the time with its truth and honesty regarding relationships. She was often accused of being 'potty-mouthed', when all she did in fact was talk about the real deal between men and women, using language usually heard from a man. At the time she was fresh and funny, as is Ms Ambrosious tonight!
'Late Nights & Early Mornings' All the while keeping the songs real with deep emotion and displaying her operatic vocal tones to perfection, as was displayed on her very soulful version of 'Butterflies' which she then (in keeping with the Michael Jackson spirit) segued quite nicely into MJ's 'I Can't Help It', jazzily scatting to her heart's content. You could tell the audience were with her every step of the way. Of course she performed selections from the debut album, including a sexy raunchy 'Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)', kicking the track off with a very funny Millie Jackson type rap which was a definite favourite with the ladies in the house and a haunting, stripped down 'Far Away', with Marsha at the keyboards playing with pure feeling. Her Floetry days were brought back to life with the sublime and tender 'Say Yes' (another favourite of mine).
Being based in the US you could tell Marsha was really happy to be performing back in the UK, in front of friends and family. As she told the audience, whenever she was back home she would "...party, I mean REALLY party!!!" which was the cue for the dj to take Ms Ambrosius down memory lane (and for her show to inject some high powered energy to get everybody dancing) with a selection of past 80's and 90's hits, kicking off with UB40's 'Red Red Wine'. Soon we were on a journey that took us through hip hop (Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock 'It Takes Two'), new jack (Bell Biv DeVoe 'Poison') to pop (The Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams') all in a seamless blend which had the dj scratching and Marsha grooving as if back at the school disco, with a look of pure joy on her face. This funky section was positioned halfway through the show which allowed her to return to the soulful material to which she excels. A duet called 'Alone Together' with a guy called Daley was impressive, as was the tender 'Trust', a song she collaborated with jazz pianist Robert Glasper on his current 'Black Radio 2' album. We were also treated to her latest single (which on record is a duet sung with Ne-Yo), 'Without You', taken from her forthcoming 'Friends & Lovers' album. All in all it was a great night of entertainment from a woman who is interested in real music with real emotion for real people. As she expressed to the audience, not in a boastful way but instead to say these things are possible for anyone with a dream and talent, her circle of acquaintances and colleagues now include Drake, Dr. Dre and Mariah Carey, and on what Marsha delivered tonight, this is no surprise.
Here is Marsha performing 'Far Away' at the O2 Indigo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWJnGV_3AvM
The official video 'Without You' Marsha Ambrosius Featuring Ne-Yo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Vn8EljwIU
Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton sing 'As' from 'The Best Man Holiday' Soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msla_nuHxKA
Being based in the US you could tell Marsha was really happy to be performing back in the UK, in front of friends and family. As she told the audience, whenever she was back home she would "...party, I mean REALLY party!!!" which was the cue for the dj to take Ms Ambrosius down memory lane (and for her show to inject some high powered energy to get everybody dancing) with a selection of past 80's and 90's hits, kicking off with UB40's 'Red Red Wine'. Soon we were on a journey that took us through hip hop (Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock 'It Takes Two'), new jack (Bell Biv DeVoe 'Poison') to pop (The Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams') all in a seamless blend which had the dj scratching and Marsha grooving as if back at the school disco, with a look of pure joy on her face. This funky section was positioned halfway through the show which allowed her to return to the soulful material to which she excels. A duet called 'Alone Together' with a guy called Daley was impressive, as was the tender 'Trust', a song she collaborated with jazz pianist Robert Glasper on his current 'Black Radio 2' album. We were also treated to her latest single (which on record is a duet sung with Ne-Yo), 'Without You', taken from her forthcoming 'Friends & Lovers' album. All in all it was a great night of entertainment from a woman who is interested in real music with real emotion for real people. As she expressed to the audience, not in a boastful way but instead to say these things are possible for anyone with a dream and talent, her circle of acquaintances and colleagues now include Drake, Dr. Dre and Mariah Carey, and on what Marsha delivered tonight, this is no surprise.
Here is Marsha performing 'Far Away' at the O2 Indigo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWJnGV_3AvM
The official video 'Without You' Marsha Ambrosius Featuring Ne-Yo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Vn8EljwIU
Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton sing 'As' from 'The Best Man Holiday' Soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msla_nuHxKA
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