Friday, July 17, 2009
Yamin delivers mellow start to weekend games
Concert review
John W. Adkisson | The Roanoke Times
Related
Podcast
Previous coverage
Remember the 1970s and 1980s glory days of “yacht rock,” when the likes of Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross and Seals and Crofts were grooving all mellow and non-threatening?
If you want it, you could have it back. Elliott Yamin is on the scene.
Yamin, an “American Idol” season five finalist, took the stage on Friday night at Roanoke Civic Center to headline the Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremony.
Seated on a high stool, with only an acoustic guitar player and keyboardist to back him, Yamin showed that his music, stripped of the sterile and predictable pop production that dominates his records, is at essence closer to “yacht rock” than to contemporary mainstream pop, soul and R&B. He also showed a strong yet subtle voice that could burn even hotter with stronger material.
About 700 people paid to get into the hour-long show, while hundreds of young athletes there for the opening ceremonies sat through the concert or milled about the civic center’s 7,000-capacity coliseum.
A few young women up front held “E-Train” signs visible from the big screen at stage rear. And Yamin gave them a smooth and professional yet unexciting show full of songs about love, broken hearts and perseverance.
He opened with “Free,” from his self-titled 2007 debut. Lyrics such as “hold fast to your dreams and don’t be afraid to fly” were a feel-good if cliched fit for the athletes.
“Nothing’s impossible,” he told the crowd when the song ended. “That’s why you’re here.”
From there, he moved on to “Know Better,” a song from his latest CD, “Fight For Love.” On that tune, the title song and his 2008 hit single, “Wait For You,” he manipulated his tenor range without oversinging — atypical for a performer only a couple of years into the game.
Yamin, a Richmond guy who had no real recording or performing experience before “Idol,” apparently arrived with a good instinct for working a melody instead of making a cheesy show of vocal gymnastics. As a songwriter and interpreter, though, he could stand to grow away from the trite lyrics that fill his songs.
Not that the “E-Train” riders were bothered. The show was short, and the arrangements were bare, but for no more than $10, fans got a decent deal.
