TAKE 6 in concert at THE Paul A Johnston Auditorium – Smithfield, NC – 01/12/25
TAKE 6 in concert at THE Paul A Johnston Auditorium – Smithfield, NC – 01/12/25
By virtue of their ground breaking 1988 eponymous debut album – Take 6 is arguably responsible for the re-emergence of acapella music in pop culture. Don’t hold it against them – they still do it best, as was on full display on a Sunday afternoon in January at the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium in Smithfield, North Carolina. The south has a rich history of vocal quartets – ‘southern gospel quartets’ is what it’s been known as for decades – but Take 6 presents a whole other level. Well, for one thing – it’s six voices. That’s not exactly a quartet. Although the lyrical content of their catalog dips into the secular, still there’s a good portion of gospel in the group’s repertoire – but the arrangements have a lot more jazz in the mix than ‘southern gospel’ as a genre ever had. Take 6 has made a career of exceeding expectations and blending musical styles and tonight was no exception. Gospel standards like “Wade in the Water” and “Fly Away” sounded comfortably sophisticated and jazzy next to the sextette’s impressive arrangements of songs by The Beatles (“Got to Get You Into My Life”), Eric Clapton (“Change the World”), and Stevie Wonder (“Overjoyed”). The jazz/pop classic “Sailing” harbored nicely with “Rainy Night in Georgia,” and the jazz standard “Just In Time” (a real vocal workout). Basically, these six guys can do just about anything.
The Paul A Johnston Auditorium is located on the campus of Johnston Community College in Smithfield, North Carolina – a beautiful theater with good acoustics, excellent lighting and comfortable, well-designed seating with good sightlines from every corner of the room. Maybe the frenzy of the holiday season hurt attendance because the theater was less than half-filled, but the low turn-out didn’t dampen the spirits of the world-class performers onstage. Claude McKnight, Alvin Chea, Mark Kibble, David Thomas, Joel Kibble, and Khristian Dentley performed with every bit of high energy, humor and style as if they were in front of a stadium packed to the rafters. Each of the sixteen songs performed featured the group’s trademark vocal textures and soaring solo spots, often punctuated by whimsical choreography and always an overriding sense of love for what they do. Songs were introduced with brief banter, each singer taking turns - the ‘junior members,’ like Joel and Khristian, having served a minimum of 20 years while Claude, Mark, Alvin and David each put in 40 or more. The ambiance was relaxed, and at one point, Khristian asked for some of that “good smelling” popcorn to be headed up to the stage.
All these six men really need is a set of microphones (maybe not even that) to put on a mesmerizing show, but they did briefly break the acapella format as Alvin Chea and Khristian Dently took to a pair of keyboards and David Thomas and Joel Kibble picked up guitars as they covered “Overjoyed.” Aside from that, there were just a couple of instances where rhythm tracks were used (“Back in Love” and “Sailing”). The hour and a-half show covered a lot of musical ground, from a shortened version of “Spread Love,” from their first album, to “God Bless the Child,” from their soon-to-be-released new project.
These six outstanding talents still have what it takes to create stunning vocal music – and it’s obvious from their demeanor onstage, and the things they communicate to the audience, that they’re not ashamed to show that they love Jesus. I’ll take those two things any day.
