Atlantic Starr and Mary Jane Girls

“Send For Me” is the opening single from the R&B band Atlantic Starr. The introduction alone without the vocals gets a pretty apt amount of applause, of course when the vocals begin in the first verse, the audience get so loud! It’s a great atmosphere in here immediately. It is no wonder that this band released single after single from the late 70s until the mid 90s.
They are touring some of their biggest hits from the height of their fame. One of the biggest songs of the evening is a song called “Always”, which is the US number one ballad from 87. The audience is polite, in listening but of course the introduction is accompanied by a huge amount of applause. “Masterpiece” is another international hit that the band perform, complete with three part harmonies and the memorable piano line of this set. They finish this set on the mid tempo “Secret Lovers” which has the crowd jumping up and down and throwing their best moves on the d-floor. A fantastic atmosphere orchestrated by Atlantic Starr.

The first time I heard of the Mary Jane Girls was when I played Grand Theft Auto Vice City, so when I found out they were playing in the same city I was in I knew I had to check them out. Admittedly the band has made some personnel changes over the year, and some lights burn out in this world, but the Mary Jane Girls are still shining brightly. The 80’s R’n’B and Disco group walked on to the stage with a full band behind them like they were ready and excited to get things going, and the standing crowd produced a huddled buzz.

Protégées of the singer Rick James the band played their biggest tracks interspersed between newer and the less well-known brilliantly, I may as well have known all the songs given their distinctive groove and opportunities to sing along. ‘All Night Long’ came on and things got a little wild only to be continued with the effortlessly groovy ‘Boys’ which were offset with the ballad-driven ‘On The Inside’ where the audience could noticeably be seen swaying.

The Mary Jane Girls finished on their biggest commercial hit song ‘In My House’ which was the perfect way to end a delightfully uplifting gig.