Last night in New York City, radio station Power 105 held “Power Live”, an R&B showcase featuring Novel, Jenny Bapst, Laura Izibor, Case, Ray J, Bobby Valentino, J Holiday, Beenie Man and Trey Songz.

Held at B.B. Kings, the venue was swelling with over 1500 partygoers who danced up a frenzy thanks to DJ Self (“Prince of New York”), one of the city’s most popular DJ’s.

Novel performed first, his crispy clear falsetto set off by the four-piece band. The crowd was extremely receptive to his show (considering his new artist status) and his final song, a solid cover of Prince‘s “Purple Rain”, proved he was going to be a hard act to follow.

The next acts were international soul sirens Jenny Bapst (France) and Laura Izibor (Ireland), whose lilting voices and serene stage presence were perhaps not best-suited to the mainly female crowd waiting in anticipation for the sexed-up male performers.

Case was up next (introduced by Power 105′s Ed Lover) and performing a string of his hits, he definitely didn’t disappoint. From the opening strains of “Missing You”, he had the crowd open. With more than just Mary J. Blige in common, Case’s live act has always been similar to K-Ci of Jodeci and judging by him sucking on one female audience member’s finger and constantly poking out his long tongue, he’s sticking to the script. By the time he closed with “Touch Me, Tease Me” the crowd was going nuts.

Ray J was the perfect act to follow, and it appears his VH1 reality show For The Love Of Ray J has only increased his sex appeal. His performance included special guest Akon (for “Sexy Ladies”) plus a frenzied call-out to the audience to help him choose which girl should “win” his heart on the upcoming final episodes of his show.

Bobby Valentino (or is it Bobby V? Artists!) kept the “sexy time” going, with a Jodeci tribute set that included a sultry rendition of “Feenin’”. The crowd became much more responsive when he launched into his own material, including “Anonymous” and “Mrs. Officer”.

J. Holiday also attempted a Jodeci cover, this time with “Freek’n You”, although he unfortunately lacked the raw yearning of K-Ci’s vocals on the original. He did however close with a spirited performance of “Bed”.

In a strange but refreshing twist Beenie Man then appeared on stage, changing the mellow vibe with his fiery dance moves set to a medley of his classic hits. New York City crowds are known for their affinity to reggae music, and the place exploded with a second wind of energy.

It was after 1am when Trey Songz finally hit the stage to close the show with his hits and new tracks from his upcoming album. Judging by the screams, the amount of posters in the place and pictures held up by his fans, he was the act most people came out to see.

The R&B lovers in the house definitely got their money’s worth from this great showcase, and special mention has to go to the DJ’s on the night who brought the house down with their killer sets. Great job to all involved!

Images: Real Talk NY

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