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entertain m< on caiMflu/ B- ? ??1 L^rxlj (hl$ IS Rxpr AjtZJn. I I'M not #W/ accepted | foe.r?, *L'm from 1 fUL 1 ilSMi 'lit V.CI I 9 VAI By BILL DOUGLAS Gamecock Staff Writer A small but vocal crowd witnessed a vei tense performance by Patti LaBelle at Auditorium Saturday night. Ms. LaBelle kept in the tradition of her LaBelle, by prancing onto the stage dresse costume. Clad in a black lace top, resembli with a pair of leotards, she was holding a fan. A stagehand labeled her style of < travagant ? orgasmic." in me mir.as ot tne crowd, Patti LaBell wrong on the Township stage. She even got takin g off her shoes. The audience ws screaming and dancing from the time Ms. ] out the first note of the first song in the conc Shame," all the way to the last tune, ' Friends." LABELLE'S VOCAL QUALITY was demonstrated the utmost contraol of her vc as soft as a quiet whisper, as well as hit raspy high notes. The crowd really began to respond when her hit tune, "It's a Joy," featuring a sopra band player Santo Mirabile. During the son audience got up from his seat and started d; of the stage. LaBelle, in turn, mimicked < man maae unui ne went DacK to his seat. Her stoge presence was at best energetic, have a certain charm that is highly infectic at times come on to the audience as son shaking and gyrating about, and then cha passive, men 10 explosive, some songs she u child at play, and others like a woman at wo MOST OF T11E SONGS Ms. LaBelle perl A Shame," "Funky Music," "Since I Don and "Ir's a Joy" are cuts from the "Patti her first solo album since the disbanding "I.nRpUp " M? I.nRollo canfl nnlw ?nn nf tunes, "Lady Marmalade." She exhibited li the crowd by coming back on stage for an er Teh opening act for the concert was a solii by singer Lenny Williams. Williams, lit trying to make it as a solo artist since leavi used to be lead singer for the Tower of Powe Williams warmed up the crowd with his octive range which he makes very good use the vocal variation from high to even hig Dressed in a lavender silk like 3-piece ; oDened his oortion of tho show with hi? lilt Doo-Fu-Fu-Ooh!," a song from his firs "Choosing You." WILLIAMS I1FLI) T1IK IKTKKKST of tl holding notes while changing his vocal pi After a lukewarm start the audience r respond to Williams, especially during t See LallH R . /^/a y yocs nz'fj rriK. Some p^ple; -> Nlfi=0 rite local a m n* * d Wiiiian ry fine and inTownship j 1 j former group, H W I d in an ornate By BILL DOUGLAS in? a neffliopo finmprock Staff VVi-Hap gold Japanese iress as "ex- A lyric in one of Lenny VN songs says "I'm riding t n r? m/\ > I iw/\ I'tv* ?* ' v v-uuiu uu iiu wiic, i in aicir u t'NKiii . C* an ovation for eight week tour began t is on its feet "trekkin"' Williams has d LaBelle belted been in a caravan of cars ert, "Isn't It A and members of his bar 'You Are My been using to get from cit> concert tao concert. But Lenny Williams is superb. She the wire" to what could b< ?ice, making it promising solo caret ting powerful, dependent of his former gi "Tower of Power," which I she belted out 1975. "I figured if I wa no sax solo by continue in show business g a man in the have to go about establis amiug in iium luenuiy !or myself,' }very step the Williams. In leaving the "To Sheseemedto POower" Williams joir )us. She would ranks of lead singers, al icwhat sultry, Kendricks, former lead nge moods to ,ould act like a Lonnv Wllllon formed, "Isn't Have You," *^-.Belle" album, of the group LaBelle's old '' NJlllllllli or sincerity to i performance / ^5352 e LaBelle, is ng a group. He r&Fw '-v* amazing three IP of by changing ^^yB\ ffl| B ' ;&? suit, William's jfl , %2g*||| single "Shoo- I J?t t solo album, 10 mulinnnu l\?r . V/\iVVi? eally began to By he song "I i|l? _ LLK, page 20 pSjj ? ^ ItElirrr's a lymii I party in A ani. I rfffl ha /?-UKM LLJ RWi:_i_Z?3 IB3?a8?a ! crowd "Temptations," and Teddy Pen^ ^ degrass, once lead for "Harold 4^ Melvin & the Bluenotes.V But unlike Fendergrass, Williams has no hostility towards his former group. "Our separation is not so p ww baci that we couldn't come back together and be friends/' said Williams. Apparently there has been no bitterness between him Whams' and the group, the "Tower of ne nign Power" horn section plays on 5 of iince his the eight tracks on Williams' he only "Choosing You" album. one has "CHOOSING YOU" is a light, that he melodious, sophisticated rhythm U~..~ 1 iu nave cliiu UlUUb, II1UI UT1IIS UWity ITOm ' to city, the "OakU.nd Funk" that Williams used to perform with the "Tower." "riding Is it a deliberate attempt to J a very become free from that particular , ii.- iiiuuc ui music: i Qcn i imuK it roup the was deliberate, I was just trying to ie left in be myself," Williams said. mied to "I contributed more than 50 I would percent of the album's total con nmg an cepi, along with my producer ' said Frank Wilson, and it made for more of my sound." Frank Wilson wer of is an experienced Motown iea me producer who also works with the a Eddie "Four Tops" and Eddie Kendricks. for the Williams said the change in musical style has definitely AS liberated him to sing his kind of music. Before touring the U.S. Williams took his show overseas to Great Britain and Italy where his album was number one on the charts for 5 weeks. While touring Italv ho u:is Ion the same bill as a female vocalist Denice Williams. "Everybody thought that we were either married or sister and borther, I had to keep telling them no, that we were meeting for the first time." WILLIAMS is determined to have a solid career in the music industry. "I've made up my mind that the music business is my life inri I In " ' ,u a ? mil IV/ MU 111 11 1UI lilt.* duration of my life in some form or fashion." Upon completion of his present tour. Williams; will on i/? !>;< home in Oakland, California to do segments on the television programs "Soul Train," and "Rock Concert." r-J\/ r?m. . ? dt Vj*L.tl\JN HAWLS I Vi | L\ea 1 II ' - __ _ ?v ; ??. / llfcn*! Jvix