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India.Arie Friday, July 18; 8PM; $50-$115 Carriage House Theatre at Montalvo, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga; 408.961.5800 What is this "neo soul" stuff? Whatever it is, keep it away from the children! The meaningless buzzword might be stapled to India.Arie, but she isn't a slave to it. She sweeps listeners away from the processed, prefabricated synths and beats to a verdant world of organic funkiness. In 2001, as the soul world was deep into its ménage à trois with Alicia Keys and Jill Scott, India.Arie was at the right place at the right time. Her simple tunes about identity and love and self-acceptance plucked from her hollow-body guitar propelled her aptly titled album Acoustic Soul to Big Wilma status. "Video" was the album's highlight, an upbeat comparison of her style to the hoochies in rap videos. Acoustic Soul earned the bulk of Grammy nominations in 2002, but Keys memorably shut her down. In 2003, India.Arie won Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Best R&B Album for the lesser sophomore effort, Voyage to India--perhaps compensation for losing so badly the year before. Whatever, India.Arie has enough talent and skill to shake off both the sophomore and Grammy Award jinxes to be a formidable entertainer for years to come. This show is one of the major highlights for the Montalvo summer season, showing that contemporary R&B can fit in well with the Kenny Loggins and America crowd. (Todd Inoue) Summer Music Guide 2003 Summer Sonic: This summer, Good Charlotte's Joel Madden looks forward to touring and working on his '65 Chevy. Perry-patetic: Lollapalooza's Perry Farrell attempts to recapture the spirit of 1991. Modern Love: The 1983 Day on the Green with the Police, the Fixx, Madness, Oingo Boingo, and the Thompson Twins blew open the alternative-rock movement in the Bay Area. Plus: an interview with Fixx frontman Cy Curnin. Ozzfest 2003: With Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Disturbed and Chevelle. Shoreline. Summer Sanitarium: With Metallica, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones. Candlestick. Wilco and R.E.M: Shoreline. Björk: Pier 30/32. Stanford Jazz Festival: With the Branford Marsalis Trio, alumni from Cal Tjader's groups, James Williams, Madeline Eastman, Dena DeRose and Geri Allen's Ensemble. Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University. Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival: With Nneena Freelon, the Count Basie Orchestra, Greg Osby, ¡Cubanismo!, the Yellowjackets, Jimmy Heath and Ledisi. Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University. India.Arie: Montalvo. Beck/Dashboard Confessional: Greek Theatre. The Dixie Chicks: HP Pavilion. Lou Reed: Mountain Winery. Shows: From Agenda to Zoë. Summer Festival Guide: Art, wine and more. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]