Concert Review : An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge @ Warner Theater

R&B was in full effect on Wednesday, April 16th, when R&B quartet Jagged Edge stopped in the Nation's capital on their An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge tour. I've seen the group before, but usually, they were on a bill with numerous acts, so they didn't get that much time on stage. In addition, the group's last few albums were all misses for me. However, since they were celebrating their magnum opus album, JE Heartbreak, I decided to give them a chance.

As is the norm for R&B concerts, as my wife and I made our way to our seats, we were met with the sounds of a DJ warming up the crowd. Around 8:10, up-and-coming singer Jack Freeman took the stage. While he didn't have a band, the crooner had an impressive enough set list for me to add some of his tracks to my playlist.

After a brief 15-minute stage setup, Jagged Edge took the stage. One of the first things I appreciated about their performance was that they had a live band and set of dancers. An impressive video preceded the group's entrance. Jagged Edge kicked off their set with the album track "Girl Is Mine," followed by the rare hit "Baby," and then moved into "Where The Party At."

The hits kept coming as JE took the crowd on a journey throughout their almost thirty-year career. The group's newest single, "Just Might Get It," which didn't wow me on first listen, sounded much better live, but thankfully, that was the only song performed on their newest album. Clearly, JE understood the assignment, though, as the hits such as their classic ballads "Gotta Be," "Goodbye," He Can't Love U," and "Put A Little Umph In It" all had the crowd singing along.

The real strength of the show, though, came in a lush ballad medley in which the group sat on a coach and was accompanied by a guitar player. JE went deep into their discography, and my excitement reached an all-time high when I heard songs like "It's Funny How," "Remedy," "The Rest of Our Lives," and "Healing." It was also wonderful to see Wingo perform a tribute to the late D'Wayne Wiggins with a cover of "Whatever You Want."

As the night began to wind down, JE pulled out the big guns, performing original and remix versions of "Promise" and "Let's Get Married." While I've been critical of the group's recent offerings, "An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge" solidified their place as one of the great groups in late nineties R&B.

Final Grade: A