Angie Stone's 'Brotha' is special to women too
Songs like Cecily Wilborn's 'Southern Man' and Angie Stone's 'Good Man' are energy boosters for the soul
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In my early publishing days, there were many highs and lows of being an entertainment reporter. The irony is interviewing and writing about mental health professionals a few years later was drama-free. Meanwhile, writing and interviewing artists was a roller coaster ride that made me way less of a fan of a handful and a much bigger fan of a few more. And while I’d still choose to write and report on health topics over music, hanging out at live concerts will always be a highlight for me personally and professionally.
I’ve seen many free concerts at the Taste of Chicago with the who’s who in entertainment (from Stevie Wonder to Salt n’ Pepa). I’ve enjoyed free concerts at Real Men Cook with artists like LeToya Luckett and Slim from 112. Then there were huge concerts in grad school like the first time I saw Nas perform live. Or, when I leaped into action to buy “Best of Both Worlds” tickets before Jay Z peaced out on a certain Chicago artist and started working with his New York friends. Going to live concerts — twisted ankle and all — will forever be top-tier entertainment for me!
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But if someone were to ask me to choose my favorite concert of all time, I’m not sure anyone will ever beat two artists: Al Green or Angie Stone. Al Green’s discography and live performance is so amazing that I couldn’t even sit still on the blanket outside. I had to get up and dance through the majority of his performance.
Then there was Angie Stone. I kinda sorta liked her songs but went to her concert solely because the marketing team at my then-newspaper job had free tickets. And who doesn’t like “free”?
That day, I didn’t expect her to become one of my favorite performers. That is, until she burst out singing “Brotha” and black men everywhere in the crowd leaped up, sang almost every word and some were damn near in tears at the homage to them.
No disrespect to Ne-Yo, one of my favorite R&B artists and the epitome of professionalism as an interviewee. But as much as I love his single “Good Man,” there’s something about women telling a man he’s a good man that hits differently. It’s an official co-sign instead of a self-reflecting hope. It’s why I love Angie Stone’s new song “Good Man” (the “ohh, ohh” part is super catchy) more than his. It’s also why I crank up the volume on Cecily Wilborn’s “Southern Man.” It hits differently when you are the recipient of the compliment.