THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

If ever the definition of "casting against type" needed illustrating, this was surely it. Never mind all that hoo-ha on American Idol or her three platinum albums; the memory of her that's seared onto my brain was her headlining gig at 2008's Taste of Chicago. It was a muggy afternoon and the sun never appeared, thanks to a cloud covering that rivaled the parting of the Red Sea sequence from The Ten Commandments. When the sky did open, it was only for a frigid tinkle but there she was—atop a monitor over the audience ripping/pleading/thundering through her furious version of Prince's "Purple Rain."

With arms gesturing like a madwoman and that voice at full throttle, I had no doubt that Fantasia would beat down the Almighty himself so she could just sing her song. That didn't quite happen but Fantasia Monique Barrino convinced me then and there that she was the embodiment of raw nature and that it was beyond her to be anyone but herself. At a time where we have an abundance of young Black women with jaw-dropping vocal talent and where the term "diva" gets bandied about perhaps a bit too freely, Fantasia cuts a sharp contrast from the pack ( Jennifer, Beyonce, Rihanna—sit down!!! ) . I doubt if Fantasia could be bothered to play the diva or would play anyone like Miss Celie; she's too spontaneous, too sassy, too ALIVE.

After her American Idol victory, eight Grammy nominations, a Broadway hit, backstage controversy, a best-selling autobiography ( Life Is Not A Fairy Tale ) , the starring role in the movie version of that autobiography, a guest shot on Logo's Drag Race, her own reality TV show ( Fantasia For Real ) and the lead role in the upcoming movie version of the musical The Color Purple, you would think that she would be ready to chill. However, onstage at the Venue, chilling was hardly on her mind and her opening set in this sold-out soul revue certainly didn't disappoint.

It was a sly move that the pre-show music that was piped in was chock full of soul classics ( such as ( "I Know ) I'm Losing You" from The Temptations; "Pink Cashmere" and "Uptown" from Prince; and "Chain of Fools" and "Rock Steady" from Aretha Franklin ) because once Fantasia hit the stage she threw the vibe in the room way past "overload." "Don't Act Right" bolted at the start ( taking off her shoes off before the song was over ) but a thunderous "I Can't Stand the Rain" moved things in a different direction. Her medley of covers of songs by Prince ( a funked-up overcranked "Kiss" that became something of a joke with the reverse sexism ) , Aretha ( "Rock Steady"—brutal ) , and Chaka Khan ( "Tell Me Something Good"—aggressive ) may have pushed too hard but they were the set up for a dovetail into her slow-simmering "Summertime" and an almost delicate "When I See You," which brought the volume down considerably but kept the intensity in the room at the same level. As she said mid-set; "I am what I am and I don't care what anybody has to say about it!!!" Amen to that.

On a far different level KEM followed Fantasia onstage and delivered a set that was almost from another planet. Sure, all of his songs seem to have the phrase, "Hey girl..." and there's a slight slickness/professionalism that brings to mind early '80s-era Al Jarreau or George Benton. This part of the show was the embodiment of clean, rapturous, elegant soul without a hint of dirt under the fingernails—obviously, why Fantasia was the opener—and his stage patter seemed buffed and calculated. Then there was that crisp streamlined suit that, after all the emoting, didn't catch a single wrinkle or crease. But so what? It was all in service to a corker of a show that didn't have any lulls or slow points. Although his new album, Intimacy ( Universal/Motown Records ) , has yet to be released, after this show it's bound to be ever so slightly disappointing. Face it: You can't top perfection and this show was as near to perfection as anyone had a right to expect. Although KEM is in the middle of a generation of soul men that includes Maxwell, Drake, Usher, Ne-Yo, Trey Songz and Tank, he goes a good deal further by trumping his own flashiness with bare-knuckled sincerity.

Opening with "On My Mind" and careening into "True Love," he set the tone of the show by grabbing an adoring fan's video camera and finishing the song, singing to it all the while flashing fast grins and winking into the lens. Although KEM has a certain polished lightness and playfulness in his intros and patter and his music was buffed to a sheen next to Fantasia's rough edges, the show had the same emotional level but with greater subtlety. "Golden Days," with a fierce spoken word slam from vocalist El-Renée, took the tired empowerment rap that's by now a soul music cliche and turned it into something new and, well, empowering again. "Find Your Way Back Into My Life" was extended from a ballad into an extended slow jam that wafted through the room like an ominous thundercloud while "Why Would You Stay?" was filled with yearning, pleading, and pained regret. "If It's Love," an entangled duet with Kelly Conn, was the best of both worlds; with her full-throated release and his dry measured near falsetto flavored with a touch of sweetness, the two voices came off like silk ribbons wound and spiraling and morphing into one.