Raphael Saadiq’s Tribute To Neil Diamond
What A Talent! Just A Fitting Tribute To Neil!
During the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors, Raphael Saadiq opened the tribute for Neil Diamond. Saadiq isn’t just a singer-songwriter but he has also produced songs for other big names in the music industry such as Joss Stone, TLC, John Legend and Mary J. Blige. He has collaborated with several other legends and has also released a critically acclaimed album.
Saadiq has been a standard bearer for “old school” R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné!
With all these recognition and achievements, he’s the perfect choice to open the tribute. It was such a wonderful medley for the one and only Neil Diamond. For the performance, Saadiq sang “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” which is a classic Neil hit. Even with the fast beat and tempo, the rendition was still moving and flawless.
Music critic Robert Christgau has called Saadiq the “preeminent R&B artist of the ’90s.”
Hats off to Raphael Saadiq for this unforgettable tribute!
