Live backup sorely missed

Singing in concert without a band, or karaoke-style, always leaves a bad impression, especially in a venue as large as the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

But what to do, when Color Me Badd and All-4-One, are really just vocal groups whose talent fees probably did not include live backup? We sat back and tried to enjoy the show.

Color Me Badd opened with “All For Love,” one of its chart-topping hits, and teased the audience afterwards: “Are you ready for some old-school music?” That meant a lot, actually, since old school R&B was about vocal harmonies and solos unadorned with Auto-Tune and other technology devices.

Down to three members (Bryan Abrams, Kevin Thornton and Mark Calderon) from the original four, Color Me Badd struggled a bit on the high notes, but not to a point where it caused embarrassment.

All-4-One was still intact, but its members (Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez and Tony Borowiak) could not sustain some of the difficult parts in their songs, either.

Both groups pulled through, however, and the hits made female fans delirious.

The sentiments of some of the songs’ lyrics, full of clichés, were just what the ladies wanted to hear. “I Turn To You,” which All-4-One recorded in the film soundtrack of “Space Jam” before Christina Aguilera covered it, went like this: “For the strength to be strong/For the will to carry on/For everything you do/For everything that’s true/I turn to you.”

Color Me Badd’s “Close To Heaven” had these lines: “You know you’re the only one for me/The thought of you/Picks me up when I’m lonely/I get all crazy…”

But the guys can be original, too, as demonstrated by “I Wanna Sex You Up,” Color Me Badd’s first single from its debut album “C.M.B.” and which was tagged as part of the “New Jack Swing” style of R&B (after appearing on the film soundtrack of “New Jack City”).

The gig’s best moments occurred during the tribute to Michael Jackson, in which both groups joined forces to interpret the King of Pop’s immortal songs as their original videos played on the video screen.

“Gone Too Soon” was a standout that featured seven voices blending seamlessly. “Black or White,” “Bad,” “Beat It,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Scream” and “Billie Jean” followed in quick succession.

Another highlight were the a cappella tunes, with both groups pointing out that this type of singing was their musical foundation.

In future gigs we hope Ovation Productions would bring in live musicians that would give more life especially to R&B groups. Pocholo Concepcion