India Arie is an artist who rejects the status quo. She dismisses ordinary performer-to-audience gaps by acting as though she's hanging out in her living room. Arie strongly believes that her testimonies of love and music can influence the world—and with the amount of talent that she holds, not many people can argue with her.

Arie hit the Commodore on April 5, touring her latest album 'Testimony: Volume II, Love and Politics' with the talented Laura Izibor. Words, song and heart transformed simple anecdotes into powerful means of spiritual expression. Arie's multi-instrumental skills were inspiring and captivating; her lyrics relayed stories of strength, courage, and wisdom.

'Love and Politics' is heavily produced relative to prior Arie albums—a fact that made me wary going into the performance. I was pleasently surprised to see Arie interlace the new with the old—improvising her setlist with flawless flow. It was great to see Blue Miller touring in Arie's band, as he's responsible for co-writing many of my favourite tracks from 'Acoustic Soul.'

While India Arie is not your usual performer, she is an excellent one by all means. Colorful wardrobe changes and touching guest-performances enhanced the already impressive show. Human nature, love and self-empowerment are major themes in India's work, and the concert was packed with (mostly female) fans who knew the lyrics to every song. Her message must be getting through to her listeners, as I've rarely been amongst such an amiable audience.

India Arie communicates from the heart. She connected with every member of her audience and left us feeling refreshed, aware and craving more.

India Arie performed at the Commodore Ballroom on April 5, 2009. Laura Izibor opened.

Thank you to Cecily McLarnin for co-writing this review. Photos are copyright Ami Sanyal.