Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Right around the turn of this century, Musiq Soulchild played a significant role in expanding the neo soul foundations set by Maxwell, D’Angelo, The Roots and Erykah Badu with both a contemporary nod to the great R&B crooners of yesteryear and a kinship with classic hip-hop. Now nearly 20 years and 13 Grammy nominations later, the Philly native is stretching out into his most ambitious territory yet, filling “Feel The Real” with 24 tracks across two discs after just having released another long player (“Life On Earth”) a mere year prior.

It was exactly the recipe needed to “Feel The Real” of Musiq Soulchild’s latest season and enough to keep interest mounting for City Winery faithful until another residency can make its way to the books.

In other words, Musiq Soulchild, his four-piece band and two background singers had mounds of music to share with Chicago’s classy City Winery, so much so that he sold out four shows across two nights and probably could’ve packed at least a couple more onto the calendar. For those lucky enough to snatch a spot, that meant a sizeable sampling of recent material, but never at the expense of his several top ten Billboard singles that became the subject of their own “Icon” compilation during his mid-2000s hibernation.

During the early show that kicked off the entire stretch, Musiq Soulchild sounded soulfully sublime as he grooved through “Mary Go Round,” “Dontchange,” “Humble Pie” and “Simple Things” with cool sophistication. As the 90-minute night progressed (which included guest Kameelah Williams from the girl group 702 and also the mother of their child), it became apparent just how versatile of a vocalist and songwriter the headliner has become.

Whether he was singing about romance with silky smoothness during the Meelah duet “Give It To You” and “Love” or cuing up the club throughout “Party Life,” “Just Friends (Sunny)” and “B.U.D.D.Y,” the star connected on every level, sending the audience (and ladies in particular) straight to their feet. It was exactly the recipe needed to “Feel The Real” of Musiq Soulchild’s latest season and enough to keep interest mounting for City Winery faithful until another residency can make its way to the books.

Click here for more photos of Musiq Soulchild and here for more photos of Meelah at City Winery.

For additional information on Musiq Soulchild, visit MusiqSoulchild.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at City Winery include Musiq Soulchild with Kameelah (Meelah) Williams (Jan. 4); Talib Kweli with NIKO IS and K’Valentine (Jan. 5); Sons Of The Never Wrong with Michael Smith (Jan. 6); Dan Tedesco (Jan. 7); Shane Koyczan (Jan. 8); Christian Fresno & Friends (Jan. 9); “Slice” screening with director Austin Vesely (Jan 10); Three Women And The Truth (Jan. 11); Maysa (Jan. 12); Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues featuring Tracy Nelson (Jan. 13); Steve Earle (Jan. 14-15); EagleMania (Jan. 16); Paris Combo (Jan. 17); Melanie Fiona (Jan. 19); Jodee Lewis & Jonas Friddle (Jan. 20); Let Freedom Ring, Chicago! (Jan. 21); The Hot Sardines (Jan. 23); Randy Bachman (Jan. 24-25); Susan Werner (Jan. 27); Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds Of Zamar (Jan. 28); Rachael Yamagata (Jan. 29-30) and Alejandro Escovedo with Don Antonio Band (Jan. 31-Feb. 2). For additional details, visit CityWinery.com/Chicago.

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