India.Arie preaches to a vocal choir in Chicago

May 17, 2009, at the House of Blues

By Selena Fragassi
Published: May 20th, 2009 | 12:00am

Wherever India.Arie goes, people are sure to follow, as her relatively short, but impressive career has shown. And so it went at a sold-out show at Chicago’s House of Blues where Arie, dressed in a long gown self-embroidered with flowers and letters spelling out “L-O-V-E,” resembled a modern-day Mother Earth, supporting her image with a message of peace, hope, and, well, love.

The songs from February’s Testimony: Volume 2, Love and Politics (Republic) were a celebration, she said, but whether it was of life, love, or a newfound success and self-discovery on some of her most ambitious recordings yet was anybody’s guess. Belting out “Chocolate High” amplified her cultural pride with a pining for romance while “Therapy” was just the opposite and featured a special guest, Gramps Morgan, who shared the duet on the original recording and sweetened his appearance with a second, Jamaican-style remix.

Her old favorites were just as lyrically layered like “Ghetto,” “A Change is Gonna Come,” and “Video,” which showed a swift ability to move from piano to electric guitar as Arie blurred the borders of soul, pop, R&B, and rock.

“You didn’t come to just see a show tonight, but to be part of a show,” Arie encouraged with a wide smile that mimicked her waves of positive energy. “Sing, dance, clap, sit on the ground — do whatever you feel like.” But what people felt like doing during the career-spanning, nearly three-hour set was singing along, chanting motivational catcalls, and holding their hands up as if being redeemed by a singer who just in her mere presence could invoke a revival with her Sunday best.

It’s clear that Arie is in touch with a spiritual power, as she invoked “all the people before” in a soothing séance, which included the ghosts of those who have inspired her like Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye. Coupled with the show’s multiple false starts and requests to pray before the show began illustrated her desire to have a purposeful meaning in everything she does, even when it bordered on the realm of uncomfortability as Arie’s emotional delivery cut into personal space. The best examples were the incredible “He Heals Me” and later a cover of Don Henley’s “Heart of the Matter” (followed by a cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”), which drew a tear from many who were lucky enough to witness the moment of near brilliance.

It’s an incredible feat for someone like Arie to be able to expose such a sense of entitlement with a spirit of genuine caring that could best be described as “Therapy.” It’s a direct result of Arie’s unflinching resolve to open up on her own Testimonies to make people feel that they can relate even beyond the star power, becoming not a preacher, but a close friend.
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For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page