Floetry Remixed: House Of Blues, Chicago—8.21

Marsha Ambrosius introduced herself and newly added member Amanda Diva as the group “Floetry” to the city of Chicago. For those that didn’t know, “floacist” Natalie Stewart left the group earlier this year, and complete details of the group’s break up have still yet to surface. In recent interviews regarding her newfound position as part of Floetry, Amanda Diva declined to comment on why the group broke up saying she felt it wasn’t her place to speak on it. The question is—can we get Marsha on the phone to find out what really happened to the original group?Without knowing what to expect from the new duo, it was surprising to see the flowing chemistry between the two. Marsha contributed her flawless vocals, while Amanda brought forth a Hip-Hop edge that gave the group a whole new vibe. While performing a handful of songs “remixed,” where Amanda added her rhymes in place of Natalie’s vocals, the two displayed the potential of making decent music together. The duo also performed new music they had written, which presented Amanda the opportunity to show some poetic, rhyming skills and even her singing ability, while harmonizing alongside Marsha. In all honesty, the new duo didn’t have the polished edge from the Floetic yesterdays, but in time if the two actually stay together and made an album, that opinion might change.While speaking with several members of the audience, many weren’t aware that the group had parted ways and were surprised to see that Amanda Diva had been added to the roster. In promoting the show (which was held in the intimate backyard of the House of Blues) the bill should have read—Floetry: Marsha Ambrosius and Amanda Diva…but it didn’t. While it wasn’t fair to those who expected to see Marsha and Natalie together, most seemed satisfied with the group’s overall performance.Now that Floetry is officially “remixed,” it doesn’t take away from the classic music the original duo delivered to the R&B/Hip-Hop/Neo-Soul world. Two Black women from England came to America and brought forth a style that the Hip-Hop generation was missing. Now that the group has evolved, it will be interesting to see how Marsha Ambrosius—the English R&B chick we’ve grown to love, collaborates with Amanda Diva—an All-American Hip-Hop head.