All of the artists on the lineup for the second annual R&B Xmas Ball – Dru Hill, Joe, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men – have Christmas albums from the last two decades, but rather than putting a twist on carols or crooner standards, this is an evening that merely uses Christmas as an excuse for a night out to hear earnest, heart-rending 90s R&B.
Dru Hill deliver classic R&B in matching outfits, as their 2000s music videos – as seen on kebab shop TVs nationwide – play out behind them, while a set of mostly slow jams from Joe sets the stage for Braxton.
The opening seconds of Burna Boy’s Last Last transition to He Wasn’t Man Enough, the song which it samples: cleverly tying in Braxton’s heritage and hybridity. But like Dru Hill, Braxton and her live band initially seem to be stuck in the era when the music was made, with the same vocal prowess and flirty charm, just a little different in clothing and choreography.
Then, nine songs in, she discusses her battles with lupus, and being told she’d never perform live again. Breathe Again is sung through tears in a single spotlight. “As long as I live, I will never forget tonight,” she says earnestly. Power chords catapult us into Long As I Live, and by now Braxton holds our melted hearts in her hands. She encores with Un-break My Heart, sung impeccably but short one verse.
In dazzlingly matching all-white outfits, Boyz II Men open with Motownphilly and then move through Water Runs Dry and On Bended Knee. Their three-part harmonies are awe-inspiring: totally tight and unblemished, but also responsive to their live band.
They cover the music that influenced them – Shawn Stockman’s solo on a purple guitar during their cover of Prince’s Purple Rain is a standout – and music influenced by them, with Wanyá Morris heading up Bruno Mars’s Locked Out of Heaven.
We finally get into the Christmas spirit with Silent Night and their beloved Let It Snow, both good enough for year-round listening, before a closing run of One Sweet Day, I’ll Make Love To You and End of the Road. The production across the evening isn’t as slick as these musicians deserved, with technical glitches during early sets, and in spite of rich sonics, it feels as though the stars are performing a tribute act to themselves. But, transported temporarily to the golden age of R&B and some of its architects, the audience go home dusted with glitter rather than snow.
