Urban Thought Collective

Recently, I was invited to attend an industry event where Chrisette Michele was performing in support of her sophomore effort, “Epiphany.”

I was anticipating this event in part because as you know, I totally adore her and love seeing her perform.

I have been looking forward to a strong comeback after what I consider to be a five star debut. I must admit after listening to the sampler recently, I wasn’t blown away. None of the songs grabbed me on first listen so I needed her to sell me by killing it live.

She didn’t disappoint.

The mini-set only consisted of three songs, which wasn’t enough for me to evaluate what we’ll see on May 5th. I really wish they would have played the album in the background before she hit the stage. However, I can say that for me, her performance just cemented what I’ve always felt: that I am ride-or-die for CM. As long as she doesn’t do a track with T-(esticular) Pain, I will support anything she does. Or adhere to the “if you can’t say nothing nice” rule of thumb. I will always support artists that study and hone their God-given talent.

I also must say that I take back what I said about them photoshopping the album cover to death. Although I’m still not in love with it, as you can see from the picture above, she has been hitting the gym hard and looks great. That’s always a good thing. With a full schedule ahead in support of the album, she needs to be in the best shape possible I would imagine.

Here are the videos I captured of “Epiphany,” “What You Do,” and “Blame It On Me.” These are far from my best work but pretend it is and enjoy anyway!

“What You Do” doesn’t need Neyo. It’s a much prettier song with just her and the keys.

What do you think?

“Blame It On Me” is the perfect example of a song that didn’t grab me when listening to the sampler. However, now I’m playing video on repeat so I can hear the whole thing. I also loved how she connects directly with the audience. And you know how excited I get when an artist sangggs to my camera. It feels loved.

Remember folks, Epiphany drops May 5th. Support the music.

For day-to-day updates, follow CM on Twitter @epiphanygirl. She’s quite the entertaining tweeter. She talks to us like we’re her peeps. Gotta love that. She also has a You Tube channel as well. Subscribe!

Danielle “Vivrant Thang” Hatchett is a freelance writer and blogger living life like it’s golden in the DC Metro area. She is the creator of Songs in the Key of Life, a music blog (with the occasional personal element) that spotlights underrated soul artists who “don’t be gettin no airplay.” She also maintains a companion You Tube channel where you can view footage of all of her concert adventures. Vivrant Thang has a regular spot here on Urban Thought Collective, and can be contacted at vivrantthang8@gmail.com.