Standing in line for almost two hours to see Chrisette Michelle parade her forte on stage was well worth the wait for the sizeable crowd outside The Temple Bar. From stage presence to vocal excellence, Michelle gave a memorable performance. Simply put, she rocked the mic, and The Temple Bar proved once again why it is the premiere live music location west of Hollywood.

If you have never seen a concert at The Temple Bar, you are missing out. The venue is on the smaller side, but for those that purchased their $12 tickets in advance, they had an ideal view of the artist while she performed.

The acoustics are ideal. On occasion, concerts tend to blast those near the stage away. Anyone that has ever attended a Beyoncé concert knows precisely the feeling of an expensive eardrum assault from the thousand inch speakers (or so it seems) treating your ears like a boxer hitting a speed bag. This concert was economical, and a hundred dollars weren't needed to expedite deafness.

Prior to Michelle's performance, Jean Baylor (formerly of the 90s group Zhané), set the mood with exquisite vocals from her upcoming release due in the second quarter of 2008. She gave fans an acoustic-soul performance that had people lining up at the conclusion of her act to buy her CD consisting of five songs that will be included in the future release. Baylor gave the audience a taste of what is to come, and it is much different than the music she created more than a decade ago. Quite frankly, it was mature, and showcased her talents in a way that she did not while she was a part of Zhané.

Michelle easily captivated the audience as she kicked things off with "Let's Rock." There wasn't a person in the crowd not controlled by the song. Everyone was in their groove mode with the gentle up-tempo beat. Even with two left feet, it would be simple to get on "the good foot" and become engulfed in the moment with everyone else.

The format brought an additional element to the show. Michelle introduced each song as a part of a story. Her positive disposition was most evident when she performed "Good Girl." While performing this song, irony wasn't difficult to find when noticing women dressed like "Bad Girls." Michelle may be hard pressed to find an audience actually aspiring to that lifestyle, but it obviously hasn't swayed her from sharing her views of love, relationships, self respect, and the "notion" that being virtuous is something to be proud of.

When she transitioned into "Golden," Michelle not only made you want to shed a tear that love can actually motivate actions of complete selflessness, but that she was able to showcase her voice in a manner most can only experience alone, and in the shower. It would be nice to say her ideals are a microcosm of society, but that would be wishful thinking. She is one of the few artists that represent the antithesis of mainstream R&B. Michelle writes all of her music, and after seeing her perform, she is authentic in every sense of the word.

She performed like a veteran of the industry. Her voice supersedes the majority of her peers, and her content is unmatched by most artists in her genre of music. The next time the New York based artist buzzes Southern California, you can expect it to be at a larger setting, and tickets will cost significantly more due to her rising status.

By Trent Hensley