Review and Photography by HW Design Inc.
The fact that India.Arie launched and ended her show at Club Nokia with prayer was a testimony to the spiritual depth of the evening. “I’d like to start the night with a prayer…” With these opening words, the Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter led the crowd into a journey of raw emotions, earnest honesty and euphoric love. In only her fifth show back since a self-imposed hiatus in 2007, Arie was in seasoned and peak form while she performed for over 2 1/2 hours during a 26 song set.
In February, Arie performed at the White House, celebrating the music of Stevie Wonder as he was awarded The Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize. She performed for President and Mrs. Obama during the PBS televised event.
Before the show, Wonder’s “You Are The Apple Of My Eye,” could be heard playing in the background. During the show, Arie told a story of a conversation between her and Wonder, regarding a relationship she was then in. Wonder’s advice for her was simple, “Love does not hurt.” That statement would be apropos for the evening, with every twist and turn of the performance all pointing to the power and healing of love.
Of her new album, Arie exclaimed, “all these songs are political and all these songs are about love.” “Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics” is Arie’s fourth studio album, which she calls her, “best studio experience ever.” Including the catchy singles, “Chocolate High (featuring Musiq Soulchild)” and “Therapy (featuring Gramps Morgan),” the album has been met with much critical acclaim. She went on to explain that while “Testimony Volume 1″ was about relationships, this new album is about the “oneness and interconnectedness” of everyone and all of us. As she sang, “Ghetto,” Arie asked the question, “when you look around, do you see your brother? It’s a small world after all. You live in another country too.”
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