Sydney’s soul/R&B crowd was buzzing with anticipation, excitement, and for many of us, memories of our younger years this past Thursday night. The reason for this was because Grammy nominated R&B singer Eric Benet was in town for an intimate show at Home Nightclub, thanks to deltaBRAVO Presents.

The event had four support acts, which is a little unusual, however, the reason why would be revealed later in the evening. Unfortunately, I was running late and arrived just before the 3rd support performer got up to show what Australia had to offer. This was Australia’s go-to support act for R&B artists of late; Barry Southgate. Southgate performed acoustically, with the assistance of guitarist Rawhiti Turnbull, and did not disappoint, performing a mix of stripped down covers and originals which showcased his voice, and warmed the crowd up suitably. The next support act was Carlos C-Major, who came with a different dynamic to Southgate; a show complete with three choreographed backing vocalists and DJ, including Prince’s (yes, THAT Prince's!) former singers Maya & Nandy. At first, the crowd seemed a little apprehensive to embrace this energetic performance, but eventually gave in to C-Majors charms and his blend of R&B/pop.

By this point, the room was packed out; girls were pushing their way to the front as boyfriends followed sheepishly behind. But who could blame them for keeping an eye on their ladies? In an industry that can have a disposable mentality towards artists, Eric Benet is one who, despite being on the scene for over 15 years, not only still manages to make quality R&B, but who also hasn’t lost the sex appeal that goes hand in hand with this genre of music. So, it was to no surprise that when Benet finally appeared on stage, it was to some quite high-pitched screams. Opening with what I personally think is one of the seductive songs in his repertoire, “Chocolate Legs”, Benet made sure those high pitched screams would not die down anytime soon. Although we sure wished the feedback from the microphones would.

On stage, Benet was charismatic, and ensured that all eyes were on him. Moving on from his ode to brown skin ladies to “Don’t Let Go” and “Sometimes I Cry” from his last album Lost in Time, he showed why he’s maintained a strong career in a fickle industry. His vocals were flawless, and he effortlessly switched from his robust chest voice to a falsetto that reached notes some female singers would struggle with.

Speaking of female singers, Benet had a little surprise in store for the crowd with his next track. He told us a story of meeting an Australian girl on the plane over, who approached him and told him she was a singer. With this Hollywood-esque once-in-a-lifetime sounding story, he introduced Sydney based powerhouse vocalist Michelle Martinez to perform one of his biggest hits, his duet with Tamia, “Spend My Life With You”. Martinez wowed the crowd and Benet, easily matching Tamia’s vocals. She managed to make every girl in the room green with envy and yet proud of the talent we have here, all at the same time.

Next up was another joint from the latest album, “You’re The Only One”, and with that, Benet announced to the disbelieving crowd that the show was done. Hang on? Really? I could see the faces in the crowd saying this to Benet with their eyes. But of course, there was an encore, which was none other than the club banger from back in the day (for those of us over 25!) “Georgy Porgy”. Ah, now we were really reliving those memories I mentioned earlier on in this review!

Although the show was very short, it was equally matched in sweetness. Benet won us over with his smooth vocals, magnetic personality, and showmanship. I’m sure there were some fans disappointed by the length of the show, but thankfully we had quality local support acts to help ease that pain. Let’s just hope that when Benet returns next year with a full band that he puts on that full length performance his fans had expected this time around.