Best of R&B and soul come to Detroit in fest

[Jonel]

Friday, August 1, 2003

Best of R&B and soul come to Detroit in fest

By Susan Whitall / The Detroit News
Image

Multiplatinum rapper Nelly performs Saturday.

Detroit Music Festival

4:30 to 11:30 p.m. today and SaturdaComerica Park, Detroit

Today: Jaguar Wright, the Gap Band, the Isley Brothers, R. Kelly

Saturday: the Whispers, the Four Tops, the Temptations, the O'Jays, India.Arie, Nelly, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

Tickets $40-$100

Call [phone] or go to ticketmaster.com

It'll be soul heaven at Comerica Park this weekend, as the Detroit Music Festival presents two nights of top-notch R&B and soul, beginning at 5:30 p.m. both nights. Tonight, R. Kelly, the Isley Brothers, Nas, Gap Band and Jaguar Wright perform. Saturday's bill is Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Nelly, India.Arie, the O'Jays, the Temptations, the Four Tops and the Whispers.

Because there are so many acts on the bill, the nonheadliners will not do lengthy sets. "I hope fans realize that the Temptations, Four Tops, O'Jays and Whispers are under a time constraint, we'll only get to do 40 minutes each," says Otis Williams of the Temptations.

Opening for Nelly is neo-soul singer Calvin Richardson, whose deep rooting in gospel and soul icons Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Al Green are obvious in his self-titled debut album, "2:35 p.m."

"This is what music is supposed to be about, although it got off into some other thing in the last 10 years," says the young North Carolinian.

For tickets, call TicketMaster at [phone] or go to www.ticketmaster.com.

You can reach Susan Whitall at [phone] or [e-mail].