Donnie at The Echo Lounge
I had to get out of the house, last night, and go for a drive. A serendipitous turn of events (I’ve really got to see…by j. brotherlove
I had to get out of the house, last night, and go for a drive. A serendipitous turn of events (I’ve really got to see Signs, again), lead me to dig through my Tower bag o’ music and discover a small flyer announcing Donnie performing at The Echo Lounge for free at 8:00. Wow! It was only 8:15, so I zoomed on over. The timing was perfect; the doors hadn’t opened so I hopped in line with nu soul boho’s clad in retro wear, modern afros and Madonna piercings.
Inside, brown babies - and some, not so brown - shimmied to a pre-concert set spun (naturally) by Jamal Ahmad. To be honest, that vibe could’ve been maintained and I would’ve been happy as a clam. But, we were packed into The Echo Lounge for a reason: to worship hear a local soul genius. Donnie hopped onto the stage shy of 9:00, in full 70’s splendor and a Colgate smile. The crowd was putty from then on. I had the (mis) fortune of standing behind Donnie’s Biggest Fan who knew all the words to everything - including the crowd banter.
Donnie has great stage presence and knows how to say the right things at the right time. Like his close buddy, India.Arie, Donnie’s lyrics drip with positivity. Watching him perform is like listening to Songs In The Key Of Life with Diffrent Strokes playing in the background. He opened with crowd pleaser “Do You Know” and then promptly introduced his band instead of waiting until the end of the set (I like that). “Heaven Sent” and “You Got A Friend” followed, building to the title song of his debut “The Colored Section” (still no official release date). “The Colored Section” is an infectious empowering tune armed with the chorus “Welcome to the colored section/Welcome to the Negro League/Sign you name on the black list and know this / It’s American history.” Donnie’s uplifting messages continued to overflow with “Cloud 9,” an ode to his hair, unquestionably, the nappiest afro I’ve seen in decades. And while you’re singing his anthem “I’m not a nigger, I’m ne-ga-ro/When I become a nigger, I’ll let you know” you have pause - if only for a moment - to go “hmmm…”
The feeling at The Echo Lounge was groovy from beginning to end. And, as I brushed past a sista who was about 8-months pregnant wearing a fauz-Pucci, print knit dress, I thought “Life is dy-nooooo-mite!”
I missed him yet again.
do you know you write the best reviews. i mean it was your meshell post that made me fall i n love with your journal in the first place. and now this. daymn. can’t wait until he comes back to NYC. i missed him here too.
You flatter, me Lynne. *grin* Now, if I could be more diligent about checking my grammar before I post…
BTW, I just found out that Donnie is performing in Atlanta with Ledisi at the end of the month. Woo Hoo!
the end of the month? i just might have to get my azz down to hotlanta then.