Last night’s evening event at the Jus Blues Music Awards in Memphis was a performance by Calvin Richardson and his band Fifth Element. In an era where there are a lot of R & B singers but few who can actually sing, I was amazed by how soulful Calvin Richardson is, and how amazingly funky his band is as well. Richardson has an impressive body of originals, and he sounds equally at home with Bobby Womack and Frankie Beverly covers. He is definitely an example of where R & B music needs to be heading.