POP MUSIC REVIEW : BeBe and CeCe an ‘Addictive’ Duo

The gospel/R&B; uplift of BeBe and CeCe Winans may take a different angle of trajectory than their older siblings in the Winans, but the two most certainly delivered their music to the same lofty destination at the Celebrity Theatre on Saturday evening.

Though secular music was banned in the Winans household, both groups developed a canny mastery of modern R&B;, the most obvious evidence being BeBe and his sister CeCe’s current No. 1 R&B; hit “Addictive Love.” But, where the Winans performances tend to open with a churchy fervor and jump off from there, BeBe and CeCe arrive at Sunday morning more by way of Saturday night, letting their set build through sleek Luther Vandross-styled soul to eventually reach the same rhapsodic boil.

There was a gospel message to all the songs the pair sang from their three albums, but it was often couched in deceptively radio-ready songs and arrangements. What couldn’t be mistaken, though, was the passion the two bring to their music.

Whether the music was delicate or declamatory, BeBe and CeCe sang fabulously, with his Vandross-meets-Teddy Pendergrass vocals offset by CeCe’s rich alto. Along with their heated duets, each took solo flights through several songs. In her segment, CeCe brought both fire and finesse to “For Always,” from their Grammy-winning 1987 debut album and the current “Supposed to Be.” Though much more of a showman than his sister, BeBe curiously was far more effective when working off another singer than when going it alone.

Along with the solo sets, the show was further divided with short performances by guest artists Margaret Bell and Christian rapper Mike’E, who were brought on in mid-show instead of being relegated to opening slots. Bell, the sister of singing great Vanessa Bell Armstrong, proved a powerful, stylish vocalist in her own right, performing four songs from her new “Over and Over” album.

In his rap “My Father’s House,” Mike’E gave a new spin to the term “house music,” and mixed in some metal guitar on “I Got Straight.” Joined by BeBe and CeCe, he did a credible job of replicating M.C. Hammer’s rap on “The Blood,” which was also the propulsive point, two-thirds through the show, when the music really began to take off.

The performance reached a fever pitch shortly thereafter on 1988’s “Lost Without You.” The group’s consistently excellent vocal backing trio--including yet another Winans sibling, sister Denise--became downright breathtaking, weaving staggered harmony patterns that took on the timing and timbres of a Kalimba African thumb piano. Then BeBe engaged in a fervent vocal exchange with each. Then R&B; diva Stephanie Mills came up from the audience, and she and BeBe sent their call-and-response vocals spiraling through the roof.

Though flying far freer than the recorded version, “Addictive Love” seemed nearly pallid compared to the show-closer, “Celebrate New Life.” That song built from a Caribbean groove to a locomotive force, with BeBe racing ahead, shouting with a rhythmic drive that made him seem as if he was both conductor and train.