Summer Soul-stice: John Legend and Craig David in Manila
MANILA, Philippines - Bringing sexy soul back to back, John Legend and Craig David are swinging by the Araneta Coliseum on March 26 and March 27, respectively.
Spending one hot night in Manila for his Evolver World Tour ’09, R&B royalty John Legend will be singing a natural selection of chart-toppers such as the piano-engrossing Ordinary People, the silky-smooth vocal operation of Save Room, and other hits like PDA (We Just Don’t Care), Take Me Away, and Each Day Gets Better.
The night will be nothing short of Legendary when the six-time Grammy god stirs the crowd up with songs like Stay with Me (By the Sea), which bagged him a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group; just another artistic accolade accompanying the three Grammys he won in 2006 for his debut album “Get Lifted” and his two other wins for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Heaven and his second album “Once Again,” and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for the song Family Affair.
There’s been quite a lot of evolution since Legend soul’d out in the music industry — from his pure vocal ingenuity in “Get Lifted” to regaling the Oscar audience with Jai-Ho (winner for Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards), to the collaborative initiative in his third album, “Evolver,” which boasts If You’re Out There, a track featuring Outkast’s Andre 3000. Of course, John Legend in Manila will be another milestone in the entertainer’s evolution.
Craig David Fills Manila In
Craig David has certainly undergone a similar type of evolution himself. From turning out the breakout hit Rewind at 19 to churning out “Craig David’s Greatest Hits”— his fifth album — at 27, you know a lot has happened since the artist bounded into the UK’s music scene. Such as this top of the pops having received four MOBOs and two Europe Music Awards for his works as a singer and songwriting, and earning multiple Grammy nominations for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the most prestigious award-giving body in the music industry. His accolades also helped him land collaborations with other superstars such as Sting, who worked with Craig for the smash hit Rise and Fall. It’s only right the R&B sensation made his way to Manila for a concert at the Araneta Coliseum on March 27.
For a Southampton-hailing superstar whose string of multi-platinum albums has sold 13 million copies worldwide, a repertoire of hits will definitely flow. From “Fill Me In,” the album that familiarized the world with the slick vocal stylings of Craig David are songs 7 Days, and of course, the album’s chart-thumping title track. The greatest hits will also keep coming, Craig rousing the crowd with the well-loved songs from his previous albums “Born to Do it,” “Slicker Than Your Average,” “The Story Goes,” and “Trust Me.” Among those included are Rendezvous, Hidden Agenda, All the Way, What’s Your Flava?, You Don’t Miss Your Water (‘Til the Well Runs Dry), Don’t Love You No More (I’m Sorry) and Unbelievable — some of his newer favorites. And he just might throw in a performance of the airplay-amassing track Insomnia, a song produced by Jim Beanz of Timbaland Productions.
Listen up, ‘cause Craig’s got a lot to sing about these days. “Musically, I’m so passionately involved with different styles and sounds that I haven’t had the opportunity to put out there yet,” he says. “Lyrically, I’ve got new things to talk about.”
Catch these smooth operators live at the Araneta Coliseum: John Legend on March 26 and Craig David on March 27. Tickets now available at all SM TicketNet outlets or call 911-5555 or 374-9999.
