Celebrate culture with hot sounds

The Baltimore Sun

Never mind that the sun is usually merciless and there's hardly any shade in Camden Yards, the site for the African American Heritage Festival every summer since 2002.

The event, which starts tomorrow and ends Sunday evening, is all about having a funky good time with family and friends. Vendors sell ornate African masks and unique jewelry. Flavorful foods abound: barbecue, fried catfish, grilled chicken kebabs. And you can wash it all down with lemonade extra-sweetened with pineapple chunks and maraschino cherries.

Then there's the music. The lineup on the main stage tends to offer a little something for everybody. Last year's main attractions - Erykah Badu and Chaka Khan - were thrilling. This year's main stage lineup offers various flavors of black music, from experimental jazz-soul fusion to classic Motown. Here's a look at who's coming.

The Main Stage

Fertile Ground (7:50 p.m.-8:35 p.m. tomorrow) --For the past decade, this Baltimore band, led by husband-and-wife duo Navasha Daya and James Collins, has been a lively presence on the international underground soul circuit. The independent seven-piece group has released four experimental albums, fusing elements of Afro-Cuban jazz, reggae and '70s soul. With a spirited horn section in the tradition of Earth, Wind & Fire, Fertile Ground has opened shows for Jill Scott, Cassandra Wilson and Chaka Khan. On stage, lead vocalist and focal point Daya wears elaborate, tribal-style make-up, her dreadlocks adorned with feathers. As the band works a groove behind her, she sometimes breaks out in modern dance moves - twirling and leaping around the stage. Theatrical, soulful and fiercely Afrocentric, Fertile Ground is among the best bands to come out of Baltimore in recent years.

Musiq Soulchild (9 p.m.-close tomorrow) --This Philadelphia native broke out in 2000 with his debut Aijuswanaseing, an impressive if sometimes-tentative album that sold more than a million copies. Spurred by the top-10 R&B; hits "Just Friends (Sunny)" and "Love," the album introduced a promising talent. Two years later, the artist born Talib Johnson issued his sophomore album, Juslisen, a tighter set that delivered on the promise of its predecessor, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's pop album charts and selling more than a million copies. Since then, Soulchild has released two more fine CDs: 2003's Soulstar and this year's Luvanmusiq, released in March. With his earnest balladry extolling commitment and old-fashioned romance, the artist is a refreshing, mature presence on the mostly juvenile urban scene. His latest hit, the vulnerable ballad "Teachme," is one of his best.

Anthony David (7:35 p.m.-8:15 p.m. Saturday) --Like several male artists in the so-called neo-soul category, this Atlanta singer-songwriter channels the sounds and textures of Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. However, David's approach is a decidedly grittier take on the retro-soul, black bohemian musical vibe. His latest album, the independently released The Red Clay Chronicles, is a mostly charming if slightly affected modern soul album. An associate of India.Arie, David has toured and performed with the Grammy-winning artist.

Patti LaBelle (8:45 p.m.-close Saturday) --Another Philly native, and one who earned her diva crown 40 years ago with a chameleonic, high-glam image and an off-the-Richter-scale voice. With a long string of classics behind her - "Lady Marmalade" (1975), "Joy to Have Your Love" (1977), "If Only You Knew" (1984), "When You Talk About Love" (1997) - LaBelle, 63, doesn't need a hot record on the charts to pack a house. Her feverish shows, where she sometimes literally rolls around on stage while singing at full-throttle, are legendary. The two-time Grammy winner possesses one of the highest belting ranges in pop music.

LaBelle's latest album, The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle, released in November, is a return to the singer's church roots.

Temptations Revue featuring Dennis Edwards and Ali Woodson (6:35 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday) --Of course, none of the guys in this ensemble are original members of the legendary Motown group. (Otis Williams, who still records and tours with an ever-changing lineup of the Temptations, is the only surviving founding member.) Dennis Edwards, who replaced original lead vocalist David Ruffin in 1968, is one of the best singers the group ever had. His gruff-and-sexy vocals are featured on Temptations classics such as "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and "Shaky Ground."

Edwards scored a solo smash with the oft-sampled "Don't Look Any Further," which sailed to No. 2 on the R&B; charts in 1984. That year, Ali Woodson replaced Edwards in the Temptations. His commanding lead vocals are featured on one of the group's last great singles, 1984's "Treat Her Like a Lady," a dance number Woodson wrote. He left the Temptations in 1995.

Last year, Woodson joined Edwards in the Temptations Revue, a touring quintet that performs the Motown classics.

Charlie Wilson (8 p.m.-close Sunday) --This singer-songwriter scored a surprise urban hit two years ago with "Charlie, Last Name Wilson," an R. Kelly-produced ballad. But he will always be known among funk and soul fans for his work with the Gap Band, an Oklahoma unit made up of Wilson and his brothers Ronnie and Robert. In the late '70s and throughout the '80s, the trio released classics such as "Early in the Morning," "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Yearning For Your Love" and the oft-sampled "Outstanding." Though he still occasionally tours with his brothers, Wilson has been mostly concentrating on his solo career for the past decade. His distinctive, melismatic approach has influenced a few prominent male vocalists of the New Jack Swing and hip-hop eras, namely Aaron Hall and R. Kelly.

The B. Stage

Dionne Farris (7 p.m.-close tomorrow) --Though she was never formally a member of Arrested Development, this New Jersey native gained national exposure singing on the alternative rap outfit's 1993 breakout single, "Tennessee." On her own, Farris scored a major rock-pop hit with 1995's "I Know," which soared to No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Her solo debut, Wild Seed - Wild Flower, was one of the most acclaimed albums of that year. Farris resurfaced three years later with "Hopeless," a hit urban-soul ballad from the Love Jones soundtrack. For the past decade, the Atlanta-based singer-songwriter has kept a low profile. She's currently touring with rapper Guru.

The Pharcyde (7:30 p.m.-close Saturday) --This hip-hop quartet from South Central Los Angeles broke on the national rap scene in the '90s, offering an eccentric rock- and soul-imbued alternative to the gangsta posturing so popular in the genre at the time. The group's 1992 debut, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, spawned its best-known single, "Passing Me By." The gold-selling album also became one of the most lauded in the hip-hop canon. In the decade after its release, the Pharcyde released three more CDs but none repeated the critical or commercial success of the first. The group is working on a new CD to be released this year.

Julie Dexter (5 p.m.-5:45 p.m. Sunday) --A native of Birmingham, England, Dexter laces songs melding elements of jazz, reggae and ambient trance music with a glass-smooth, somewhat-detached vocal approach. The Atlanta-based dreadlocked beauty has been a fixture on the underground soul scene for more than a decade. Her latest CD, last year's Moon Bossa, is a collaborative effort with bassist Khari Simmons, featuring mostly laid-back midtempo numbers with sleek Brazilian overtones.

Frank McComb (7 p.m.-close Sunday) --Here's another underground artist whose music echoes strong '70s soul influences. A native of Cleveland, McComb, 36, started playing piano at age 12 and five years later formed a trio. In 1991, he landed a gig as the musical director for the R&B; group Rude Boys. Almost a decade later, McComb released his debut on Columbia Records, Love Stories, a mature, ballad-heavy album rippling with Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder influences that received little promotion. Since then, the singer-songwriter-pianist has released three albums independently and regularly tours the international underground jazz and soul circuits.

rashod.ollison@baltsun.com

The festival is at 333 Camden St. Hours are 5 p.m.-10 p.m. tomorrow, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call 410-235-4427 for more information.

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