So by now you've figured out that while I'm a girl who wears many musical hats, Neo-Soul is my fallback position. Whenever I just need something "good" - I go Neo. It's the closest thing we've got to pure R&B these days. I discovered Rahsaan Patterson quite by accident. I was in a music store searching for I-don't-even-remember-what-now and ended up tossing Rahsaan's first self-titled CD into my basket. Getting home, I vividly recall wondering – who is this guy? I slid the CD in and went about doing some housework. It wasn't until I was boogieing with the mop that I realized this guy was good. His CD was one of those rare creations that you could put on and play straight through without skipping songs in between because they were clearly only there for filler. Literally, the entire CD was lovable.
It was a few years before I caught him in concert at an outdoor pavilion in California. Thanks to my date, we were hecka-late and had to sit way back on the lawn. This little guy came out in a hat with just a couple of musicians and a microphone and I thought another warm-up act was about to play. Without any accompaniment, this little dude ripped off the first verse of his single Stop By and then paused. The place was dead silent and then went wild. Little Dude can Sang. Not sing. But Sang! I was informed that he used to be "the kid" from Kids Incorporated but all that went right over my head. I love a real musician. He has four albums and a holiday record out. His album Wine and Spirits came out two years ago and still gets regular iPod rotation. Here is his video of Feels Good:
Last time I caught him in concert, he was with Lalah Hathaway and Angie Stone… it was Neo-Soul heaven. Quick Amazon playlist of some of his tunes, hope you enjoy!