*All I can say is, Miki Howard, Miki Howard, Miki Howard! I decided to take in her performance this past weekend at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood and I am so glad I made the call.
I felt like I received a treat and by the packed audience reaction, so did everyone else. Her band, a hot young one at that, played for a few minutes before the concert began.
When Miki came out of her dressing room, she stood on the side of the stage bouncing back and forth to the music. I knew right then that a party was getting ready to break out and we were in for a treat.
If I needed further proof, there were the black house shoes/slippers that she wore. Yep, it was getting ready to be on and popping.
She started with the up-tempo Side Effect hit, “Always There,” went right into, “Ain’t Nobody Like You” and then Aretha Franklin’s “Until You Come Back to Me” but not before calling the audience “sober SOBs” for remembering the 80s. “Baby Be Mine” a snippet of “That’s What Love Is,” her duet with the late Gerald Levert was next, followed by, “Come Share My Love.” We were treated to all the Miki Howard hits, all sung with a voice as crisp and clear as when they were first recorded, some over 30 years ago.
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Sylvia’s “Pillow Talk” was sang with a jazzy flair, which took us into a jazz part of the evening, where Miki acknowledged that some people were not into jazz and said, “You can go to the bathroom or something.” Lo and behold, someone got up and went to the restroom and don’t think Miki didn’t say anything, especially since the woman was sitting at a front table. Miki is real and authentic and there is nothing pretentious about her. She acknowledged her menopause symptoms, started wiping away sweat and someone in the audience gave her a fan. Talk about being down to earth. How about acknowledging up front that you do not know the words to a song, but will try to sing it anyway. Yep, real and authentic, including paying homage to the late Nipsey Hustle and then dedicating Billie Holliday’s “Good Morning Heartache” to everyone.
Miki saved two of my favorite Miki Howard songs for last. She had the audience dancing in their seats with “Release Me” and finished up with my favorite “Love Under New Management,” which appeared to be a crowd favorite.
The entire evening was intimate, warm and engaging. At one point Miki acknowledged a fan that she said has been coming to her concerts for years. She was appreciative enough to buy him dinner and drinks. She also acknowledged her foster mother who was in the audience.
The first time I saw Miki Howard in concert she was opening for another act and only performed two songs. Since it wasn’t her show, she couldn’t let loose. She was free to be herself this time and it was great to see.
Many, if not most, millennials do not know who Miki Howard is, which is unfortunate because she is a real singer…something rarely found these days. For those of you who don’t know about her, but love good music, look her up and check out her newest song, “Fed Up.” I have been a Miki Howard fan over 30 years. There may be some singers who have lost their voice over the years, but Miki Howard is NOT one of them. She can sing as good as she ever did, which is pretty darn good. She even sang acapella. Don’t sleep on Ms. Miki Howard!
Marilyn Smith is a Los Angeles based writer/reviewer. Contact her via [email protected].
