*It has been several years since this writer has seen 5x Grammy-winner Lalah Hathaway in concert. I have so many fond Los Angeles-area memories from the past of the initial singer then triumphant singer-songwriter in venues such as The Strand, and The Greek (in a duo with Joe Sample).
Then there’s Royce Hall (where she sat at the piano for one of the songs), a free show at the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Mall where the late Vesta joined her for a heart-slaying version of “I’m Coming Back” (which Vesta recorded before Lalah), a promo shot at Amoeba Records, and her recording of Lalah Live at The Troubadour – the place where her father, Donny Hathaway, recorded half of what became his classic 1971 LP, Donny Hathaway Live.
I won’t even mention walk-on collaborations… (OK. I must acknowledge her singing “Purple Rain” just after Prince passed at the Hollywood Bowl’s “Black Movie Soundtrack” night.)
And over the last 34 years, since her eponymous debut album bowed, I probably passed on more Lalah shows than I saw because I had already experienced her multiple times. And she was always dependable to kill it.
Somehow, I still was not prepared for how stunning her set at The Wiltern Theater, on September 12, in L.A.’s Koreatown district turned out.
Even by Hathaway standards, this was one for the ages. It didn’t involve any superstar guests or gonzo surprises. Just a perfect couple of opening act friends onstage, a lot of friends in the building (including co-producers Warryn Campbell, Juan Andres Carreno Ariza, and Phil Beaudreau who she shouted out), and a lot of genuine love flowing from artist to audience and back again.
Mid-show, Lalah admitted, “L.A. shows are hard,” alluding to jaded audiences that have seen it all, sit on their hands, tepidly participate, and expect the artist to entertain their royal highnesses.
None of this was the case for this Wiltern Theater stop that landed smack dab in the middle of her tour for what happens to be one of the most roundly personal, most consistent, well-balanced, and purposed albums of her 8-project solo run to date.
The title is VANTABLACK, referring to the blackest shade of the color black, and tied into Hathaway’s fiercest unapologetic embrace of all aspects of her Black culture, heritage, and perspectives.
Fittingly, she included roughly half of the CD’s 16 selections in her set this night.
Before Lalah took the stage, her longtime friend, lady DJ Spark, set a chill tone for the Thursday after-work proceedings with a mix of material by classic and contemporary Soul Music artists.
Next, Legally Blynd (a new 2024 edition of the roots band led by original guitarist Jubu Smith) kicked the show into live mode first with a solo Folk- Blues song with Jubu accompanying himself that’s hook was, “I Betta Quit Drinkin’.” A trio of organ, bass, and drums joined him for a Reggae flavored piece with strong solos from Jubu and the organist. Meanwhile, the bass and drum locked it down with the drummer’s set up facing stage right so he and the bassist could have constant eye contact. ‘Burnin’, mon!’ Next was a song about obsessive love centered around a girl named “Nina Brown” (I think), set to a skipping Afrobeat.
Before Legally Blynd started their show, Jubu dedicated their set to singer/songwriter Frankie Beverly, leader of the group Maze, who had sadly passed away two days prior. Song #4 was a loving rendition of Beverly’s “Golden Time of Day.” Jubu gave both Frankie and original Maze guitarist Wayne Thomas most righteous respect, singing the first verse then, neglecting the lyrics of the second verse and vamp refrain altogether, letting his guitar do the talking, tastefully and dynamically escalating the positive vibration of Thomas’ original solos with passion and fire. For a finale, Jubu and company kicked a peace anthem (possibly titled “In the Garden”) that dovetailed into some P-Funk and what sounded like nods to Pop crooner Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself” and the theme from the `60s TV show “The Green Hornet” (!).
Next – a brilliant thing happened. Jubu stepped back, two male background singers joined the proceedings, then, “Gentlemen and Ladies, Lalah!” The brilliance was that the sound was now impeccable and the band totally warmed up to slide right into Lalah’s set.
The house lights dimmed and the stage lights went into hyperdrive as “BLACK,” the prerecorded aural collage intro of VANTABLACK, set the scene. THIS was NOT the earthy, humble Lalah of old. The Queen of the evening strolled on from stage left dressed all in black, her head crowned with blond braids. When she hit the black rug at centerstage, she immediately discarded her black shoes and got straight to work with a seamless trilogy of new songs: “Higher,” “No Lie” and “Returning.” Best known for her low-end register, Lalah was luxuriating in her upper range with the male backing vocals holding the rest down. There was even a composed dual scat between her and the guitar. The audience was in ecstasy.
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Pacing was everything this night. After an infectious groove interlude, Lalah launched into the symphonic `80s feel of “Separate Ways” followed by “That Was Then.” Next, as the drums slowly rose up in a familiar hypnotic cadence, Lalah coyly queried, “Is this your song,” as she decelerated the vibe with “I’m Coming Back,” among her most beloved ballads (she has officially recorded it three times). Deepness mode continued with “You Don’t Know” before she lifted things back up – with a big intro – into the feel-good groove of `Angela Winbush’s “Baby Don’t Cry.” Next, she introduced “So In Love” as the lead-off and current single from her album, riding the familiar drum machine pattern of The S.O.S. Band’s “Tell Me If You Still Care” from which she also sang the chorus a lick.
“Let’s do some Donny Hathaway music,” Lalah decried as she melted into “Love, Love, Love,” the dreamy J.R. Bailey song that her father immortalized back on his perfect 1973 LP, Extension of a Man. Lovingly, Lalah did not detour from much of Donny’s vocalizations. She sang it just like the record…like most fans do.
The next portion of the show was dedicated to more music from others. Lalah spoke passionately about music and singing’s healing properties and how they have proven to improve cognitive capabilities, especially in youth. With that, she sang Anita Baker’s “Angel” which was a hit for Lalah from her Live album. Here, the audience instantly becomes her singalong chorus. The breakdown this night found Lalah also briefly referencing additional Baker gems “Good Love,” “Same Ole Love” and “Caught Up in The Rapture.” From here, Lalah sat back to take a break as Jubu took over, teasing the audience with guitar snatches of Will Jennings’ “Tears in Heaven,” Rufus featuring Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” Maze’s “Happy Feelin’s” (the loss of Frankie Beverly was still fresh and oh, so strong), Ohio Players’ “Sweet Sticky Thing,” and a touch of Jazz. The audience sang along to it all…and, indeed, a healing was had.
The home stretch was a languorous duet between Lalah and Jubu set off with soft lavender lighting and subtle smoke. “All my life I’ve been trying to find someone like you,” they crooned, “so in love with you.” Jubu played some extended guitar solos in a style that always finds him, trance-like, repeating lines and riffs and cries. At the song’s end, Lalah broke the spell as she bowed and everyone left the stage. There was no question the audience loved the show. But I cannot emphasize that it was a weeknight, Lalah’s fans go to work and had to be there Friday when the eagle flies, plus there was The Wiltern’s expected parking and traffic to navigate. All that said, 80% were still in the house for her powerful one-two punch encore of new songs “Mood For You” and the title track, “VANTABLACK.”
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This Thursday night at The Wiltern Theater, Lalah Hathaway baptized her fans with holy cocoa from the delectable desert ladle of the ageless, timeless Black Pool of Genius – a dip in the dark chocolate sauce that swirled us and drizzled us in the essence of her destiny. She revealed a triumphant sense of show pacing, knowing which songs to get in and out of succinctly, and which ones to marinate in with utmost mesmerizing mellowness. And yes, though she admitted that L.A. gigs are hard, by evening’s end, Lalah proclaimed, “This goes down as my favorite L.A. show!”
That she left her shoes behind after the initial finale AND the encore reveals that she was in no way concerned, This night, she was walking on Cloud 9.
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