If you’re a stone-to-the-bone music lover, grimace at what passes for talent these days and find yourself uttering “Maaaaaaan, where are the real ‘sangers’ at?”, chances are you were in the house----or should’ve been there----when Joe, Lyfe Jennings and headliner Brian McKnight served heaping portions of sultry soul recently at the Verizon theatre in Dallas.
If you’re a stone-to-the-bone music lover, grimace at what passes for talent these days and find yourself uttering “Maaaaaaan, where are the real ‘sangers’ at?”, chances are you were in the house----or should’ve been there----when Joe, Lyfe Jennings and headliner Brian McKnight served heaping portions of sultry soul recently at the Verizon theatre in Dallas.
Brian McKnight’s entrance wasn’t a grandiose one---he appeared behind a projected curtain in profile and stepped into the spotlight----but with a buttery voice like his, the man could’ve rode in on a tricycle and earned a standing ovation. His five-piece band (two of them helped with the vocals) capably played crowd pleasers like “Should’ve Been Loving You,” “Gimme Your Love” and “Crazy Love” (with Mr. McKnight playing some selections with his keyboard and trusty acoustic guitar). The audience, as usual, functioned as a reliable choir of Brian worshippers, leaping out of the seats to sing along on command and sway arms and hips to selections from his enviable catalog, including “Find Myself In You,” “All I Need Was You,” “One Last Cry” and“Anytime,” with ladies screaming at practically every trill, croon and scale run of his delectable pipes while their male companions nodded along or shook their heads at his virtuosity: “I LOVE YOU BRIIIIIIAN!” “Girl, I could do somethin’ with that six-pack!” “Damn that man can ‘sang’!”
Mr. McKnight was his usual, humble and humorous self, asking all other married and taken ladies to raise their hands, advised them 
that he now knew “who to stay away from” and promised to be the boyfriend of every single woman in the house, as if he needed just a few more thousand screams. In fact, the only person who got more cheers of delight than he was a lucky fan he plucked from the audience, presented with flowers and serenaded as she wrapped herself around him and squeezed his backside like a pack of Charmin. After a light peck on the lips, she was led off-stage, her grin making Mr. Kool-Aid’s look like a grimace in comparison.
Joe didn’t do too shabby with the ladies either; dressed to impress in a silken tux and his trademark shades, he drew a throng of ladies who would gather under the stage, hold his hand and even take pictures with him over their shoulders (probably to incite jealousy with stuck-at-home-friends) as he sung and moved to “Let’s Stay Home Tonight,” “Where You At,” “If I was Your Man” and “Majic.” In fact, he was nearly outsung when “More and More,” “I Wanna Know” and “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do)”, but he and his five-piece band kept time and the female fans were more than satisfied.
Lyfe Jennings, who was abrupted removed from the music scene after a parole violation landed him behind bars a couple of years ago, walked back into the spotlight and was greeted with enthusiasm as if he’d never left. His time on-stage couldn’t have been a full hour, but his DJ and pair of back-up vocalists helped him to utilize his slot wisely as he “rewinded” and performed favorites like “My Life,” “S.E.X.,” “Could’ve Been Worse” and “Must Be Nice,” the song that got even the self-proclaimed macks and players on their feet to sing along. With the warm reception he received to “Never Never Land,” “Could’ve Been Worse” and snippets from “Stick Up Kid,” “26 Years, 17 Days” and “Greedy,” perhaps the wiry and energetic folk-funk performer can be persuaded to make a one-off on his vow to make 2010’s I Still Believe his last CD, since it was made clear that his fans obviously second that same emotion.
By Melody Charles