{"id":1061,"date":"2011-02-13T20:00:10","date_gmt":"2011-02-13T20:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=1061"},"modified":"2015-10-13T21:06:41","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T21:06:41","slug":"avant-house-of-blues-houston-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/13\/avant-house-of-blues-houston-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Avant – House of Blues – Houston, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Daniel Barker <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Feb 13, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Once hailed as the \u201cnew voice of ghetto soul.\u201d AVANT can now be hailed as the \u201cnew voice of modern soul.\u201d The proof is in the listening as the singer just released his sixth album\u2014and first\u2014on Verve Forecast: The Letter on December 7, 2010 which debuted at #2 on iTunes R&B Chart.<\/p>\n

Simmering with radio-friendly yet relatable introspections about romance\/love, commitment and other realities of life, \u201cThe Letter\u201d finds singer\/songwriter AVANT ready to ascend into music\u2019s mainstream ranks\u2014joining such predecessors as Maxwell, Marvin Gaye, and D\u2019Angelo. Guiding AVANT on that journey is a contingent of established and emerging producers from the R&B\/hip-hop realm. Among them: The Pentagon, whose members Damon Thomas, Eric Dawkins and Antonio Dixon have collectively crafted hits for Mary J. Blige, Fantasia, Babyface and Usher; Mike City, whose credits include Usher, Jamie Foxx, Brandy and Carl Thomas; Marshall Leathers, formerly of the Architects, who has worked with India Arie and Missy Elliott and Kajun, fresh off the top 5 R&B hit \u201cSex Room\u201d by Ludacris featuring Trey Songz.<\/p>\n

Having recorded with such diverse acts as Nicole Sherzinger and Lil Wayne, AVANT isn\u2019t afraid to stretch his vocal wings. He most recently partnered with contemporary jazz artist Brian Culbertson on the single \u201cSkies Wide Open\u201d from Culbertson\u2019s new \u201cXII\u201d album. He was also among the select group of singers chosen to pay homage to R&B legend Frankie Beverly on \u201cSilky Soul Music \u2026 An All-Star Tribute to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA letter is what you write to people to tell them what\u2019s going on in your life,\u201d says Avant. \u201cThis album is a letter from me to my fans about what\u2019s going on in my life, what\u2019s going through my head and my struggles as a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acknowledging the career-evolving fear factor artists face with each new album, Avant notes, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to let your fans down, but you don\u2019t want to come off like you\u2019re trying to be someone else. At the same time, you want to stay relevant without sounding boring. For me, it\u2019s about giving people great music. And I feel I\u2019ve got that niche.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the forefront of accomplishing the singer\u2019s current mission is the lead single \u201cKiss Goodbye.\u201d Introduced by a driving piano riff, \u201cKiss Goodbye\u201d settles into an atmospheric, mid-tempo groove that provides the melodic backdrop to the song\u2019s cautious message: don\u2019t ever take a romantic relationship for granted. \u201cSee you done got a lot of passes\/Sick of waiting on you to change,\u201d sings Avant. \u201cYou won\u2019t know it, it\u2019s a perfect disguise\/She won\u2019t show it, but lips don\u2019t lie \u2026\/It\u2019s OK if she said she was out with her girls and you know it\u2019s a lie\/But if she kissed him, that\u2019s your kiss goodbye.\u201d In a nutshell, the song doubles as the male equivalent to Beyonce’s own cautionary tale broken down on the hit single \u201cIrreplaceable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m out to raise caution to the fellas,\u201d explains Avant about the inspiration behind \u201cKiss Goodbye,\u201d produced by The Pentagon. \u201cWe\u2019ve been used to talking our way out and through situations. But now we have to show more action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avant draws on his inner Marvin Gaye as he skillfully works his way through \u201cHot 16,\u201d a mood-setting number about an anticipated romantic liaison. \u201cWe\u2019re about to make a masterpiece \u2026 something to remember,\u201d he smoothly croons. The mood shifts on \u201cWhere Did We Go?,\u201d a commentary on the day-to-day stresses that can cause the demise of a relationship.<\/p>\n

Avant isn\u2019t afraid to bare his emotions as he laments his and his lady\u2019s inability to simply reach out and talk in an increasingly digital world. The Pentagon, who produced \u201cHot 16\u2033 and \u201cWhere Did We Go?,\u201d also helmed the beautiful anthem, \u201cWalking on Water.\u201d It\u2019s destined to become a wedding classic by virtue of its quiet melody and revelatory lyrics: \u201cI finally found someone\/A girl I can love forever\/Never thought it would happen for me\/Feels like I\u2019m walking on water; walking on water\/ When I\u2019m with you, impossible is easy to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the other 11 tracks comprising \u201cThe Letter\u201d is another R&B highlight, \u201cNight Life.\u201d Directed by producer Mike City, it features the feel-good morning-after line: \u201cWaking up late with you on my mind.\u201d Avant also taps into the hip-hop side of R&B on the languid \u201cBody Police\u201d and club jam \u201cHad Enough,\u201d both produced by Kajun, as well as the mid-tempo groove \u201cThat Dude,\u201d produced by Marshall Leathers. In addition to its melodic, contemporary R&B framework and story-telling lyrics, \u201cThe Letter’s” cohesiveness is tied together by Avant\u2019s lilting tenor, which can shift effortlessly from romantic crooner to get-down party man.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Avant comes by those skills naturally. Born and raised in Cleveland, the church-honed singer attended Cleveland School of the Arts and later became the first act signed to Magic Johnson\u2019s MCA-distributed label, Magic Johnson Music (MJM). Avant came to the NBA legend\u2019s attention when the singer wrote and released the single \u201cSeparated.\u201d The song, about a failed romantic relationship, began getting airplay on the top-rated Chicago radio station WGCI. The song was eventually included on Avant\u2019s 2000 MJM debut album, \u201cMy Thoughts.\u201d Reaching No. 1 on Billboard\u2019s Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart, \u201cSeparated\u201d was followed by the top five hit \u201cMy First Love,\u201d a cover of the 1983 Rena & Angela R&B classic featuring Eke Wyatt. Avant returned the favor on Wyatt\u2019s 2001 album debut, \u201cSoul Siesta,\u201d pairing up with her on the No. 4 hit \u201cNothing in This World.\u201d<\/p>\n

After scoring platinum with \u201cMy Thoughts,\u201d Avant released two more platinum-certified albums, \u201cEcstasy\u201d (2002) and \u201cPrivate Room\u201d (2003), and notched several more top 10 singles: \u201cMakin\u2019 Good Love,\u201d \u201cRead Your Mind.\u201d Fourth album \u201cDirector\u201d \u2013 distributed through Geffen and his final MJM project \u2013 was released in 2006 and featured the hit \u201c4 Minutes.\u201d Two years later, he segued to Capitol for a fifth, self-titled album that yielded the top 20 single \u201cBreak Ya Back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having recorded with such diverse acts as Nicole Sherzinger and Lil Wayne, Avant isn\u2019t afraid to stretch his vocal wings. He most recently partnered with contemporary jazz artist Brian Culbertson on the single \u201cSkies Wide Open\u201d from Culbertson\u2019s new \u201cXII\u201d album. He was also among the select group of singers chosen to pay homage to R&B legend Frankie Beverly on \u201cSilky Soul Music \u2026 An All-Star Tribute to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. \u201cThe different textures of music excite me,\u201d says Avant. \u201cThe dabbling in other genres inspires my writing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another side of Avant is revealed on the new DVD release of playwright David E. Talbert\u2019s \u201cIn the Nick of Tyme,\u201d which also stars Morris Chesnut, Ellia English and Terry Dexter. Says Avant, \u201cBringing across another character was so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s the singer\/songwriter part of Avant that\u2019s on center stage right now as Verve Forecast prepares to release \u201cThe Letter,\u201d the next step in the artist\u2019s ongoing evolution. \u201cI have to say, I\u2019m not where I want to be yet, and I won\u2019t be complacent,\u201d declares Avant. \u201cI\u2019m always fighting to go further. Once you hit a plateau, it\u2019s time to create another. I\u2019m just getting started.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Daniel Barker Feb 13, 2011 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Once hailed as the \u201cnew voice of ghetto soul.\u201d AVANT can now be hailed as the \u201cnew voice of modern soul.\u201d The proof is in the listening as the singer just released his sixth album\u2014and first\u2014on Verve Forecast: The Letter on December 7, 2010 which debuted at… <\/p>\n

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