The Raphael Saadiq concert was a while ago but it would be a damn shame to not give this man some love on the blog. Let it be known - there is no excuse to miss one of his shows. The man has been killing it for over 20 years and has only gotten more polished and perfected. The man who was a bit soft-spoken in person (with a solid handshake and dressed to the nines) was just the opposite on stage. He noted during our interview that he ate, slept and breathed music and it was evident.

The show was set in a two-level venue with seating and an open space for the brave to stand at the front of the stage. My friend and I made our way equidistant to the bar and stage (genius) and as the lights dimmed the energy of the room was filled with excitement and...sex. Yes, sex. Saadiq has got the baby-making-music down to a science. The man is smooth like whipped butter and cool like a sex popsicle on a hot summer day. Wearing the same golden jacket he sports on the cover of his album and backed up by some equally-smooth looking singers, dancers and musicans, the show was an original act you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else these days.

While Raphael would probably hate for me to equate his performance to anything in the past (50's, 60's Motown-era) as if his music were something that ever went away, it's hard not to. For many of us, Saadiq's music is one of the only links back to the age of Stax Records, Berry Gordy, Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye. And man did he throw it down. The entire stage was lit up with energy and the entire ensemble looked like they were having the time of their lives. Couples were holding on to each other singing the lyrics to "Anniversary" right along with Saadiq, jumping up and down with excitement when their jam came up. It was easily one of the best live shows I've seen in a while.

If you haven't picked up one of 2008's best albums, The Way I See It, get it now.