Recently, our staff had the opportunity to interview Pop / R&B singing sensation, Nikkole at her most recent concert in Los Angeles. The show was opened by newcomer Rahshad and was hosted by guest emcee, comedian, Joey Wells of BET’s Comicview, who had the audience “busting up” with his on-point comedic delivery.
We asked Nikkole how she felt prior to performing at this particular show and she said, “I am pumped and full of energy ready to put it on ‘em”. And boy was she serious! We all experienced a professional demonstrating her natural born talent! The house was packed and standing room only at the sold-out show. There were celebrities in the crowd also, including members of The Emotions, Earth Wind & Fire, The Brothers Johnson as well as members from Michael Jackson’s band.
When, it was time for Nikkole to appear, we found ourselves having to pick our jaws up off the floor on many accounts, starting with the stunning beauty that is Nikkole, who was none the less wearing the latest Emilio Pucci off-the-shoulder dress ensemble and draped in bling from her sexy over-the-knee boots down to her shimmering Minx Nails! When it was time for Nikkole to go on stage, we saw “Creolepatra” (aka Nikkole) emerge. It was as if Nikkole transformed to an even higher level of true diva! The show started with an upbeat intro of “Lady Marmalade” executed flawlessly by Nikkole’s band of well-dressed, top-notch musicians.
Then, Nikkole’s background singers went into the audience and tossed out Mardi Gras beads with mirrored disco balls on them. The crowd was ready as the back-up singers took their places on stage; then out comes Nikkole and the audience was simply awestruck. There was no doubt at that moment that the stage and even the venue itself belonged to none other than Nikkole.
The show started with “E-X-OTIC” the lead off single from Nikkole’s current cd, “Creolepatra”. The song was executed and delivered with so much confidence that by the time it was over, everybody in the place was a believer! Starting with this song and throughout the show, the quality of the musicianship from the band to the back-up vocalists and Nikkole herself was impeccable and in many cases reminiscent or even better than that of most of her well-known contemporaries. Nikkole kept the party atmosphere going with her cut, “Drive You Crazy” from her cd, “A Girl Like Me”, where she gets down and even throws some well delivered rap lines on us.
The heat didn’t stop as she moved back to her “Creolepatra” cd and gave us the funky, soulful, hip-hop track, “Wach-U-No”, which was certainly a crowd pleaser. By this time, Nikkole was getting all kinds of “shout-outs” from the audience that it actually stopped the show for a few moments as she graciously acknowledged her fans. Finally after getting everyone amped up, Nikkole slowly weaves her web and captures any stragglers with her rendition of her song, “Waiting”, a mid-tempo number. She moves on to another crowd favorite, the Grammy contender, “Breathe”, which was beautifully performed. It seemed as if everyone in the place was singing along to every song.
Nikkole then revved up her engine once again and gave us her beautiful song, “Amazing” (which was requested by an audience member), where she had some fans literally crying with the emotion-filled song and those angel-like high notes at the end that sent shivers through the spine. I could see that everyone had goosebumps when she demonstrated her 5-octave range. Once again, Nikkole took us on the inevitable rollercoaster ride as she had the whole place up dancing and singing on her smash, “Gon’ Bounce”, which was the second single from her album, “A Girl Like Me”.
People’s hands were in the air, people were jumping, people were screaming, it was just awesome! Before we all had a chance to catch our breath, Nikkole begins to sing “I Really Need You” from her cd, “Creolepatra” that was very heartfelt and with it’s gospel tinge had the crowd captivated. There was no shortage of Nikkole demonstrating her range in this show as she once again hit the stratosphere with those pure resonating tones that strike a chord in everyone, no matter who you are. She then moves onto another crowd pleaser, “Lollipop” which is a tasty (pardon the pun), dance / party song with some clever and risqué lyrics that paint a picture without using expletives and improper words to get the point across.
Next up was Nikkole’s current single, “Love Was Made In Heaven”, which is up for consideration at the Grammy’s this year in two categories, Record of the Year and Best Traditional R&B Song with Vocals. The song has also been the #1 R&B digital download in Los Angeles for 24 weeks. It has a cool old school flair and Nikkole and her crew took it there too, with vintage dance moves and instrumentation. Nikkole gives us her all once again and shows us that she is not to be taken lightly. After a rousing round of applause from a well entertained audience, Nikkole kicks in some more funk infused soul with the upbeat “Are You Satisfied?”, which is the closing number. The beat was infectious and the vocals were shear perfection.
The audience once again was dancing and enjoying every moment. In this song, Nikkole introduces her entire band, giving them all solos, with each and every highlight wowing the audience! After the solos, Nikkole gave us another dose of the funky cut by bringing the chorus around again with people shouting out the lyrics to “Are You Satisfied?”
Immediately following the show, we spoke to Nikkole in the “Green Room” for a brief moment and we asked her, how do you feel? Her response was one simple word “Elated”, which perfectly described the mood of the entire place. Nikkole was then off to meet and greet her fans.
When you get right down to it, Nikkole’s show was as hot as any concert can get. There was no need for any over-the-top pyrotechnics or a battalion of dancers. Nikkole and her band had all the bases covered and didn’t rely on anything other than real genuine talent to give the audience what they came there for, which was a good time!
Nikkole’s band consists of: Background Vocals – Wallace Hall and Amy Jones, Musical Director / Drummer – Jeffery B. Suttles, Guitar – Adam Hawley, Keys – Kevin Flournoy and Bass – James Strong. For further Information please contact, Jason Sanchez of R&B Music News in Los Angeles at: RBMusicNews@yahoo.com.
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