Eric Benet at Limelight

Sensual messages and sentimental ballads have been Eric Benet's vocal forte since the ’90s, when his steamy duet “Spend My Life with You" with Tamia not only topped the R&B charts, but earned him the first of three Grammy nominations.  His style is smooth and relaxed, not extremely intense or energetic, yet rangy and soulful. Benet will occasionally cut a message or topical track, but he excels on romantic fare and sophisticated, lightly orchestrated compositions. When collaborations with rappers and tracks with driving beats became the dominant sound on the urban music circuit, Benet switched gears and emerged as one of the top session vocalists in smooth jazz. He's provided fine change-of-pace numbers and contributed to hit releases from Wayman Tisdale, George Duke, Chris Botti, Jeff Lorber and Boney James among others. Benet's also made some TV appearances, most notably in a recurring role on the MTV show “Kaya," but 2008's “Love and Life" gave him his biggest radio hit in several years, the single “You're The Only One." It also re-established Eric Benet's popularity among fans of adult R&B, and he's making a special stop in Nashville courtesy of Lovenoise, appearing along with Casme.
Thu., Oct. 22, 8 p.m., 2009