The RnB Performance Fans Might Have Missed After the Babyface Vs. Teddy Riley Upset
While fans were wallowing in disappointment Saturday night, after the highly anticipated #Verzuz Instagram (IG) Live Battle between legendary singers-songwriters-producers Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Teddy Riley was a flop, thanks to technical difficulties on Riley's part, 90's RnB crooner, Carl Thomas, surprised fans with an intimate #quarantineandchill living room performance, in honor of the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Emotional.
Thomas, whose hits include "I Wish" and "Summer Rain", performed "Carl Thomas Presents: B-Sides", a medley of songs that weren't released as singles.
Donning gray silk pajamas, like only he can, Thomas started the night with a beautiful rendition of "My Valentine", and went straight into numbers, "That's What You Are (Interlude), "Rebound", "Lady Lay Your Body", "Supastar", "Come To Me", "Giving You All My Love" and "Dreamer".
Thomas ended the night with the interlude, "If I Could", thanking fans for joining him in his first-ever living room show for Vol. 1 of B-Sides, revealing that Vol. 2 will be announced this coming Tuesday, April 21.
Although Thomas pulled in an average of 2,600 viewers, which couldn't compare to Babyface's and Riley's numbers, Thomas gave IG fans something the vets couldn't: a show.
Even with slight technical difficulties of his own at the beginning, the show went on, with viewers commenting "This is what Teddy wanted" and "I hope Teddy's taking notes"; all while Thomas' voice sounded just as strong and beautiful today, as it was when the world first heard it.
If you want to catch last night's performance, tune in to Thomas' Instagram Live (@carlthomasnow) before the 24-hour limit is up to watch a recording or search the hashtag #ctemotional20. While you're there, keep an eye out for his announcement of Vol. 2.
On the other side of IG, what started off as a groovy jam session, thanks to Edmonds, who played hits such as "Two Occasions" and "Don't Be Cruel", quickly turned into Riley doing "the most" but producing "the least" with endless echoes and convenient "audio issues".
Even with a room full of people to help, and days to prepare with mic and sound checks, Riley, creator of the new jack swing/swingbeat genre and founding member of groups Guy and Blackstreet, could not get it together, undoubtedly killing the vibe and disappointing thousands of viewers, including his opponent, Edmonds, who graciously asked fans to give Riley another chance, so that "everybody can hear the music the way it needs to be heard".
Technical difficulties happen to the best of us and tonight's mishap is not a slight to Riley's catalogue or talent but, thanks to Thomas, at the end of the night, music won.
And while I'm always #TeamCT, when this show gets back on the road for round two, will you be #TeamFace or #TeamTeddy?
