POP MUSIC

Monday, January 21, 2008

Familiar Faces

"We're under construction, but we're almost fully built," said Donnell "D-Floyd" Floyd, saxophonist and talker for the go-go band Familiar Faces, to the Friday night crowd at Mirrors on New York Avenue NE.

Floyd's statement alluded to the transition the group is going through. Guitarist Dwayne Lee, bassist Doc Hughes and vocalists Halima Peru and Sean "Kal-El" Gross recently departed; guitarist Wendell Bacon, bassist Sean Geason and singers Damila Adams and Marquis "Quisy" Melvin have arrived as replacements.

Familiar Faces, who appeared with 360 Band, may be adjusting to a new lineup, but they still sound great and . . . well, familiar. The group is sticking with the formula that made it one of the most popular bands in the city: mixing original music and smooth covers into sets of go-go for grown folks.

The new Familiar Faces, featuring Scooby, hit everything from a smoothed-out version of Playaz Circle's hit "Duffle Bag Boy" to percussive versions of adult contemporary tracks from artists such as Jill Scott ("A Long Walk," "Hate on Me"), Babyface ("Whip Appeal") and Sade ("No Ordinary Love").

The band finished with a couple of originals, including its newest single, "We Don't Need These Phones," which sported an extremely catchy hook: "Baby, I'm-a give you my number/And you gon' give me your number/But we ain't gotta use these phones if you follow me home right now." And by the looks of things, more than a few people in attendance took that hint at the end of the night.

-- Sarah Godfrey

Sweet Honey in the Rock

The women of Sweet Honey in the Rock sing their gospel tunes and original numbers with enough energy and elan to reach audiences of all ages. On Saturday, under the aegis of their longtime collaborators, the Washington Performing Arts Society, they presented their annual concert for children at the Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ on 13th Street NW, where their soulful voices and sturdy songcraft always find a receptive audience.

Naturally, the concert featured songs from "Experience . . . 101," the group's newest album for children, which nods toward today's tastes with peppy beats and playful patter. Overamplification problems hurt the new material on Saturday, as the quick-moving lyrics of songs like "Education Is the Key" sounded indistinct. But the women always kept the youngsters involved, getting them to sing the choruses, clap with the group or, in "Tama Tama Tamali," plant (pretend) seeds and make whirring noises to scare away hungry birds.

The audience participation reached an unexpected high point during the spiritual "I Got Shoes," performed in sign language along with the interpreter. Making the motions to sign the word "heaven" -- moving your hands in rising circles, then raising your arms to the sky and letting them fall at your sides -- mirrored and embodied the rich, slow swell of Sweet Honey's harmonies as the women sang the word. It made the young'uns pay rapt attention, too.

Before the end of the short show, the group fit in the funky song of self-affirmation "I Like It That Way" and the classic "This Little Light of Mine," which left both kids and adults wanting more.

-- Andrew Lindemann Malone

Teedra Moses

In 2004, New Orleans-born singer Teedra Moses had minor commercial success with her single "Be Your Girl," while the album it came from, "Complex Simplicity," gathered a following among critics and dedicated R&B fans. Saturday night at the Black Cat, Moses performed an uneven, 45-minute set that did not always help in reestablishing her presence. Although she was the headliner, opening act Eric Roberson played a longer set -- and, oddly, surprise guest Raheem DeVaughn closed out the night with one song.

On disc, Moses largely alternated between light, pop-friendly and slightly earthier confessional songs, although she included one gospel vocal tribute to her late mother. However, joined live by a guitarist, bassist, drummer and two backing vocalists, her voice often sounded tinny as she tried too hard to add old-school soulfulness. "Complex Simplicity" featured bouncy beats and clever lyrics about coping with life, but Moses should not have tried to compete with backing vocalist Yulunda Bell in gospel-soul emoting.

Moses's enthusiasm and her down-to-earth lyrics about relationships sometimes made up for the onstage musical weaknesses in her short performance. She energetically used the stage, gestured theatrically with her hands, and had many women singing along with the likes of "You'll Never Find (a Better Woman)," "Take Me" and "You Better Tell Her." But with the emphasis on her long-ago debut, it is unclear what her future holds. (Her label says it will release a long-delayed follow-up CD soon.)

Howard grad Roberson has been hailed as an heir to Smokey Robinson. This star of the indie-label neo-soul scene showed flashes of such brilliance, but his overly mannered, retro approach to ballads did not consistently display the hooks or poetry of that Detroit legend. DeVaughn's falsetto gorgeously ended the show with a seemingly impromptu take on OutKast's Prince-like slow groover "Prototype."

-- Steve Kiviat