By Fiona McKinson

Hammersmith Apollo, 19th March 2003, London

India Arie is fulfilling enough, but with 'Floetry' as a supporting act it was like two helpings of dessert after a decent serving of soul food. Floecist Natalie Stewart and songstress Marsha Ambrosius, AKA Floetry came onto the stage wearing batwing tops and aptly flowing long skirts. Marsha's at times operatic vocals soared high. Her partner in rhyme, Natalie was synchronised at her side delivering poetry in motion. Many in the crowd were familiar with their sound. They dropped much of their album and the crowd was singing along to favourites such as 'Sunshine', 'Mr Messed up', and 'Getting late', much to Marsha's delight. Natalie got the crowd going by stating that she had told her band that her home crowd were the hottest and that we would not show her up. To show her appreciation for being back home, she pulled off a quick garage move to the BOOS! of the crowd, and then she brought her niece Candice on stage to dance too. Even a faulty microphone couldn't stop the talent that these young ladies possess. There was no performance of 'Butterflies', but as Floetry jumped down from centre stage and filed passed the audience with the spotlight on them, there was a flutter and there was a buzz with anticipation and excitement about just how good they are.

The sounds of India Arie's floating vocals suddenly filled the stage. Wearing an all white dress with a bright hippy style floral print, designed by her mother, singer Savannah, India sported her newly shaven head, a result of spiritual cleansing. Not only did she look the part but she also played the part, and quite literally. A German interviewer had asked her whether she liked to do covers or preferred sticking to her own material, she revealed her answer via renditions of 'I see your True colours' by Cyndi Lauper, 'Redemption song' by Bob Marley, and 'Loving you' by Millie Jackson. India cited such classics as examples of songs which she wished she had written herself. The crowd were not denied of her own creations for long, and plentiful they were. Her band left the stage to allow her to perform an acoustic solo where she free styled with no accompaniment, she played the flute and guitar amongst other instruments. Her experiments as she liked to refer to them had the audience mesmerised. Acknowledging that London, Philadelphia and Atlanta give her the best response, It was the perfect opportunity for her to influence our musical inclinations. When she wasn't hailing Sade as 'the real queen of England', telling us to buy more of Omar's albums, or explaining how beautiful Mica Paris was, she was stating that Floetry were "bad" because they were "different". India also sang the praises of her band members who were selling their CD in the lounge, and her US contemporaries such as Lauryn Hill, Bilal, Musiq, Maxwell and D'angelo. When she finished her stint as promoter, India returned to her guise as singer extraordinaire.

Through the experiments and conversations, the crowd was not robbed of a stunning performance and full length show. India succumbed to requests from the audience for tracks from both albums including 'Headed in the right direction', 'Little things', 'Video' and 'Brown skin', which created the encore. India got the guys chanting "strength, Courage and Wisdom!", whilst the girls responded "Love and happiness!". This incitement bore witness to her belief in the power of words which drives her. India is clearly also driven by her mum as she revealed when she sang , 'India's song'which her mum wrote for her when she was a little girl. Its chorus, is adapted from describing India's school days, to describing how an adult India listens to the wind calling her name. India's sense of direction as an artist is indeed in tune with nature and a sense of freedom. This unrestrained spirit touched many in the audience like the girl who continued to dance to every song even when the rest of us were sitting down. India's backup singers certainly had the right vibe and they embraced the Latin tinged set, delivering a mixture of break dance and salsa between them, taking time to dance with India. India admitted that she was a touch shy, and that she was more comfortable with her stool and her instruments. This very chilled event was a place where a very diverse audience could feel comfortable - where we were all invited to get more acquainted with the real India Arie, thanks to a very intimate and tailored concert.

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