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R. Kelly's "Love Letter Tour" was promoted locally as the KMEL House of Soul, and also featured Oakland native Keyshia Cole and Marsha Ambrosius, a British singer and songwriter living in Philadelphia who was formerly one-half of the group Floetry.Ambrosius is a fierce live performer. She came on stage in a black-and-white top and small red shorts -- she's transformed her body with a 60-pound weight loss over the last few years, and looked gorgeous. Ambrosius has penned tunes for Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, and most notably Michael Jackson, for whom she wrote "Butterflies." He and Floetry each recorded their own versions. The arrangements are similar, as she demonstrated on Friday. She peppered her band-and-DJ-assisted set with snippets of Bay Area rap anthems like "I Got Five on It," "Tell Me When to Go," and "Blow the Whistle," and then took to the keyboard, where she offered sensual cuts from her solo album, Late Nights & Early Mornings, with a safety warning attached: "These songs require sexual protection, 'cause I'm not responsible!"
She also performed her wry revenge tune "Hope She Cheats on You," wherein she sassily wished that your new girlfriend runs off with a basketball player. On cheating men, she offered a classic pearl of hip-hop wisdom: "Bitches ain't shit but hos and tricks!"
Keyshia Cole was visibly excited to be performing in her hometown -- "How many of y'all know I'm from here?" she asked. The reception led us to believe there wasn't a soul in the House of Soul who didn't. She looked over at our section and exclaimed, "Hey! I see some of the people I went to junior high with!" Later, she took a moment to offer motivational words to the crowd, saying that people can be whatever they want to be."I am very proud to be from Oakland, California," she said. "It taught me how to survive, how to make it in a world full of haters and snakes, and, most importantly, it prepared me to be a family with my husband and child." (She wed the father of her son, basketball player Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, in late May.)
As Cole unfolded her hits, sounding enlivened throughout, we marveled at just how many she's had since her 2003 debut. It was hard to believe that Cole had a baby just over a year ago. She squeezed into some silver and black pants that any new mother would be forgiven from running far away from, and she looked great. One minor gripe: Why did her female dancers sport the same black-halter-top-and-leggings duo that has been in seemingly every rap video since the late '80s, and why did the male dancers wear shirts that said "Boy" on them? We found them a bit distracting from Cole's talented tone; she needs no bells or whistles to entertain.
Critic's NotebookRandom detail: "Love Letter" panties were the highlight of the merchandise table, though Marsha Ambrosius' cute "Marshian" tote bags ran a close second.
By the way: Ambrosius' Late Nights & Early Mornings album is currently number 63 on the Billboard 200 albums chart; Kelly's Love Letter is number 103.
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