The Beyonce Experience tour made a stop in London last night, for the first of two dates here. Since purchasing my tickets way back in September, my interest in Beyonce had waned slightly after being let-down by her sophomore effort ‘B’Day’. However after yesterday’s show, I’m sold on the woman all over again. Absolutely fantastic.

After arriving at the arena around 7.30pm and purchasing the expected rip-off tour booklet (£12/$23!), we made our way to our seats. Once seated, I was surprised to see Matthew Knowles, as well as production trio The Bamma Boys, appear on stage to hype the crowd and introduce the opening act – Soul singer Katie Shotter. 20 year old Shotter was the winner of Matthew’s UK TV show ‘Chancers’ and is signed to his label Music World. She was generally well-received by the audience and her material was promising. Yet, by the third song it was like ‘hurry up and get off the stage’. Well, at least that’s what I was thinking Lol…

An already-hyped audience erupted at 8.50pm, when Beyonce finally hit the stage. The spectacle of her entrance alone was pretty amazing; raining pyro served as the backdrop to her grand entry. Beyonce then launched into a rousing performance of mega-hit ‘Crazy in Love’, which set the tone for the rest of the evening. I’d seen her live a few times before and she was great, yet it was evident yesterday that she was performing with increased vigour. She commanded that stage; it was if she was possessed. Sasha was officially in the building.

There were many highlights during the show; including the steamy ‘Baby Boy’ (which was remixed with Reggae classic ‘Murder She Wrote’) and her near-flawless rendition of ‘Dangerously in Love’. The Destiny’s Child Medley was also a standout, with Knowles singing a string of the group’s big hits- crowd participation here was off the charts. Knowles’ vocals were on-point throughout and all songs were sung live – aside from the passable ‘Suga Mama’.

Of the newer songs performed, I was most impressed with ‘Upgrade U’ and ‘Get Me Bodied’. Both performances stayed true to their video counterparts-hence the choreography was hot. Unfortunately the version of ‘Get Me Bodied’ she performed wasn’t the Extended Mix – so no ‘Naomi Campbell walk’ lol– but it was still great nonetheless. Even the limp ‘Flaws & All’ was brought to life via Beyonce’s raw stage presence; she shed a genuine tear during this performance.

The WHOLE arena – women, men, boys, girls and even the arena staff- went into a frenzy when the last song ‘Irreplaceable’ was sung. ‘To the left, to the left’, she encouraged us to sing ‘…even you gangstas too’ she added. At that point I let go of any reluctance and flung my hands up lol. Soon after, we we’re thanked for coming and she walked to the back. I knew that could not be the last song though. ‘Bass…High-Hat….808’ rang out and the audience went CRAZY, as Beyonce gave an encore performance of ‘Déjà Vu’.

So the night ended as just as it began – with a bang. The concert definitely lived up to its billing; it was an ‘experience’ and then some. On the night Beyonce showed just why – hate it or love it – she is the ‘Hottest Chick in the Game’.

* Kelly Rowland was heavily promoted throughout the show – her ‘Like This’ video was played, Matthew spoke about her album and numerous promotional posters/handouts were spotted/given out

* Matthew Knowles sat right behind us for the entire concert at the mixing/recording pit

* Crowd was hyped all the way through

* Her band was incredible…very talented.

* She gave both her band and dancers time to shine.

Bad Boy Records artist Cheri Dennis is finally set release her long-delayed debut album, with the Yung Joc collaboration ‘Portrait’ as the CD’s first official single. Label head Diddy confirmed the news at the ‘Bad Boy Upfront’ event in New York this week. For those not familar with Cheri, the talented singer/songwriter has been signed to Diddy’s label for several years and her project has constantly been pushed back in favour of other artists- including Diddy himself. The hold-ups haven’t stopped Cheri from carving out her own way through the industry; she has written tracks for numerous artists including Olivia and Danity Kane. Dennis also sang the theme tune to MTV’s ‘Making The Band’ – ‘Oh La La’. The currently untitled album is slated for a summer release and will feature productions from Ryan Leslie, Byan Michael Cox and Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins.

I’m really hoping her album sees the light of day. If anyone thinks Mya and Kelly Rowland have been pushed back into oblivion, then they don’t know about Cheri. Anyway, the single ‘Portrait’ – which surfaced a few months ago- is a great track and I think it’ll do well. Check it out…

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Some of you – especially our European visitors – may remember Mutya from her time in one of the UK’s biggest girl groups, the Sugababes. Since leaving the group in 2005, Mutya has recently re-emerged with a new album ‘Real Girl’ (due June 4th) and her current single of the same name is enjoying major success on the charts (currently sitting at #11 on downloads alone). This new track, ‘B Boy Baby’, is a collaboration with rapidly rising star Amy Winehouse and is featured on Mutya’s album. I’m liking this laid-back mid-tempo track; it has a cool throwback vibe to it. If you liked Amy’s international hit ‘Rehab’, then you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

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The Runners produced ‘Good Sex’ sees R. Kelly and Twista hook up again for another collaboration. Their last collabo ‘So Sexy’ was a great track, however ‘Good Sex’ kinda falls short of the benchmark set by their last outing. The song, a bonus track on R. Kelly’s latest album ‘Double Up’ (released this week), is just too standard – from the production to the tired subject matter. Thankfully the actual ‘Double Up’ album is solid and I suppose the song serves it’s purpose as a bonus track to bulk up the tracklisting.

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As the release of Kelly Rowland’s 2nd solo album ‘Ms Kelly’ draws nearer (due July 3rd), more songs from the set have started to surface. This lengthy clip of ‘Love’, a track from the CD, further suggests that Kelly really brought ‘it’ on the album. Aside from the great production, the attention grabbing lyrics enhance the song’s appeal. The track, co-written by Beyonce’s sister Solange (a few eyes rolled there, I’m sure..lol) sees Kelly taking a different approach to the overdone subject of love.

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R&B star Fantasia stopped by the Regis & Kelly show yesterday to perform ‘I’m Here’ from the The Color Purple Broadway production; which she’s currently starring in as the lead character Celie. Check out the performance:

I’m really liking this performance; it seems every time Fantasia sings the song she switches it up and adds something new. The American Idol singer has been getting rave reviews for her performance in The Color Purple Broadway show and this definitely shows why.

R&B singer Kelly Rowland continues the promotional rounds for her latest effort ‘Ms Kelly’, this time dropping by radio station 97.9 The Beat in Dallas, Texas. Rowland was interviewed and performed two of her hits – current single ‘Like This’ and the 2002 smash ‘Dilemma’.

The interview was interesting to say the least; Kelly openly spoke about a number of things including ‘The Fall’ bandmate Michelle Williams took on BET 106 & Park a few years back. Both performances sounded great too. Check it out…

Having been signed to Island Def Jam by the label’s newly appointed President of Urban Music, Jermaine Dupri, Jagged Edge are back. The R&B quartet have enlisted the help of Ashanti on the JD-produced ‘Put A Little’; the song will apparently feature on their upcoming new album. I’m liking the track alot; it’s reminiscent of their trademark slow jams. Ashanti really comes through on this one and her verse is the highlight of the song.

Rihanna flaunts more of her new ‘image’ in the upcoming issue of GIANT magazine. The stunning 19 year old star, whose hit ‘Umbrella’ is at the top of both the UK and US charts, strips down to her lingerie in the photo shoot. In the issue, the Bajan beauty speaks on her father’s cocaine addiction, as well as the rumoured ‘beef’ between herself and Beyonce over Jay-Z. On the Beyonce situation, she said:

Nice to see her address the Beyonce/Jay-Z matter; although I doubt it will quash the rumours. Though her music doesn’t move me, I must say that Rihanna knows how to take a picture. If the music career dries, modelling is her best option. The pictures are hot…

R&B singer Tamia recently performed a set for MSN Canada at the Orange Lounge in Toronto. The singer, who is six months pregnant, gave near-flawless renditions of some of her hits including ‘Officially Missing You’ and ‘Can’t Get Enough’. I have her most recent album ‘Between Friends’ on constant rotation, so it was great to see some of the tracks performed live. Real R&B at it’s best. Check it out…

This new clip is from one the songs on Mario’s upcoming third album ‘Go!’ – due July 31st. As with most of the material I’ve heard from the set, I’m really liking the Underdogs produced ‘Why’. Mario seems to have stepped up majorly from his previous efforts and ‘Go!’ is shaping up to be one great album. The only thing I don’t understand is why his label, J Records, opted to go with ‘How Do I Breathe’ as the lead single when there are much better tracks on the CD. Anyway, check out the song…

As Kelly Rowland preps the release of her sophomore CD ‘Ms Kelly’ (due July 3rd), a new track from the set has surfaced on a Tapemasters Inc mixtape. This version of ‘Work’ features rapper Fat Joe, although it’s unclear whether he will feature on the album version. The uptempo track, produced by Scott Storch, sees Kelly in unfamiliar territory – we haven’t heard anything from her like this before. It’s not what I initially expected and I’m liking some of the other tracks from the set better, but it’s still a good song nonetheless.

The next single from Mya’s forever-delayed album ‘Liberation’ has surfaced. The JR Rotem produced ‘Walka Not A Talka is a whimsical uptempo track that would should do well in the clubs. I’m liking it, it’s a grower and takes a few listens to grasp. Snoop’s verse meshes well with the track too. I’m thinking this should have been the first single instead of ‘Lock U Down’ – which isn’t doing anything on the charts.

The pic above is the official cover for T.I.’s forthcoming album ‘T.I. Vs T.I.P’. It seems everyone is trying to pass off some kind of ‘alter ego’ nowadays; T.I. must have got the memo late. I’m hoping the CD isn’t a gimmick though, as T.I. usually delivers with his albums. ‘T.I. Vs T.I.P’ hits stores July 3rd.