| Thursday 19 December 2002 |
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Hummable hits suitable for all ages
We all know that Top 40 radio tends to play a song until you hum it in your sleep. Sometimes your best defense is to hum along. Joyful pop was the point last night at 92 PRO-FM's fresh and fun Jingle Mingle at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Stylistically, these performers shared little in common. The night began with Soluna's Latin pop and Uncle Kracker's Southern rap-rock. Then it spun to Destiny's Child's rhythmic pop and Shaggy's dance-hall reggae.
But beyond these acts' love for scoring a radio hit, they found common ground. Each put on a musically engaging performance - in their own way. Destiny's Child brought a stylish, polished finesse. It was basically what you'd expect from a band fronted by Beyonce Knowles, the singer-turned-actor who played Foxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers's Goldmember. The trio glided through their hits - "No, No, No", "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Survivor", "Bootylicious". The songs piped through the speakers like well-crafted hits, a hip-hop flavored soundtrack to a Saturday afternoon skating party (with three or so teens to each adult, the parents tagging along as chaperones). Most of the songs cycled through devotion as a theme. The protagonist of Destiny's Child's "Say My Name" is a woman talking to her boyfriend on the phone. She's scolding him for not saying her name out loud. The dude won't do so, because he's at home with another woman.
In Shaggy's carefree reggae world, he's that cheating guy. His set crossed Toots & the Maytalls rhythmic reggae band with The Ladies Man's comic punch lines. And Shaggy didn't worry about apologies. His best defense to getting caught out there came as a song title to one of his hits - "It Wasn't Me". The most musical set came from Uncle Kracker. The performer who gained his fame as Kid Rock's DJ wore a "Hank Williams, Jr. fan club" T-shirt, and spent much of his set showing his adoration for the quirky combination of classic Southern rock and hip-hop.
Along with the country fan T-shirt, he quirkily sang off-key like old-school rapper Biz Markie. And he brought a satisfying set of blues rock. "I Wish I Had a Dollar" and "Memphis Soul Song" played like a shot glass of something tough chased with a shot glass of something tougher. He held the last word of the line "I seen better days" like a bluesman, stretching it taut with lament.
Hey, we know that all these pop stars adore their radio hits. Uncle Kracker thanked the crowd for lovin' "Better Days", The popular song "is putting my kids through college", he quipped. But he and Shaggy were willing to let a few rough edges show through, and that gave their performances some musical grit. Destiny's Child even reworked "Independent Women, Pt. 1," (from Charlie's Angels) with a reggae lilt.
But with Mariah Carey, in a closing set billed as a "special guest performance", the vibe was mostly floss and gloss. Carey entered the arena from the back of the hall and walked through the crowd to the stage. Her handlers passed out posters to audience members as she climbed to the stage - as if Carey needed to know that we were fans. Carey sounded strong on "Through the Rain", her comeback ballad. And "All I Want for Christmas Is You" sure enough got me in the spirit. But she had no edge in a show that carried more musical gravitas than you'd expect to hear on the radio. (The Providence Journal) Many thanks to Desiree.
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