Sweets Talk: Avant's Fan Romancing
At the Birchmere, Avant used numerous tactics to win the crowd.
(By Neilson Barnard -- Getty Images For Emi Records)
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When Avant previewed his upcoming self-titled album at the Birchmere on Wednesday, he told the crowd that he really needs the project, scheduled for a Dec. 9 release, to be a hit. But the R&B singer isn't looking for a big payday just so he can splurge on a new car or summer home -- he needs cash to keep his kid in snacks.
"I've got a 5-year-old son and he said to me, 'Daddy I need ice cream. . . . At school during lunch, the kids eat ice cream -- you have to put money on a card [to get it].' I'm back on the road so my son can eat ice cream," the singer said. "On December 9, please make sure my son can eat ice cream."
Avant didn't need the sob story to persuade fans to buy his fifth studio album, though. The disc's first single, "When It Hurts," tugs as strongly at heartstrings as his other break-up-to-make-up ballads, such as 2000's "Separated" and 2006's "4 Minutes." Other new gems included a couple of bawdy R. Kellyesque songs ("Sensuality," "Break Ya Back") and a cover of Christopher Cross's "Sailing," which dispensed with easy-listening cheese, thanks to Avant's powerful vocals.
Impressively, Avant was willing to do more than just sing to satisfy fans and, by extension, his son's sweet tooth. At one point, when microphones gave off ear-piercing feedback, Avant began unfastening his belt -- a brilliant diversionary tactic that replaced screeches from the sound equipment with screeches from his admirers.
-- Sarah Godfrey
