Barry White Arie Crown Theatre, June 7
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Perhaps nobody embodies our desire to recycle more than Barry White. With his lush musical arrangements and that deep voice, the portly maestro seduced his way to the top of the charts throughout the 70s, taking with him the hearts of the pantie-waving multitudes that packed his concerts. The women in the audience during White’s recent performance at the Arie Crown Theatre were more conservative in their enthusiasm but no less vocal. While husbands and boyfriends sat back soaking in White’s rich bass, the women filled the theater with squeals, catcalls, and declarations of love for the king of foreplay music.
White learned early on how to use his voice to further the romantic dialogue. But he recycled the approach until he became a caricature. Overshadowed by the politically aggressive messages and the stripped-down sound of rap and hip-hop, White’s stylized reveries fell out of favor.
White’s songs all pretty much say the same thing, so they depend on the strength of the arrangements to make them distinct. He alternates between singing and seductively talking his way through ballads, a technique that would be used by later R & B singers like Alexander O’Neal, Tevin Campbell, and Luther Vandross. On the other hand, White’s slick and groovy “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby” points out that his work as a composer and arranger has undoubtedly influenced acid-jazz artists like Guru and A Tribe Called Quest. After working his way through a few more of his 70s tunes, including “September, Do You Remember” and “Let Me Live My Life Loving You,” White informed the men in his audience that their women weren’t happy. He said that his mother advised him to always treat a woman like God’s greatest gift to man. As he whipped out his baton to a standing ovation, White led the Love Unlimited Orchestra in an excellent rendition of “Love’s Theme.” And a handful of dancers in see-through nighties pranced around the Walrus of Love.
