Scandal, flash and bombast are what many of today’s artists rely on to stay on the radar, but it didn’t take any of those elements for R&B songstress Tamia to pack in a full venue of enthusiastic fans when she brought her “Love Life” Tour to Dallas’s House of Blues on Saturday night.

A winsome blend of sophistication and sultriness, the Canada native and multiple Grammy nominee regaled from the moment she appeared at center stage, launching into a nearly two hour set of her most beloved hits. Her stage set was sparse—two background singers, keyboards and a drums—but her vocals have become richer over the years, fully conveying the lovestruck sentiments of songs like “Still,” “Last First Kiss” and “Almost,” with practically every verse accompanied by the adoring audience. After thanking everyone for her No. 1 debuting CD, Love Life, Tamia revealed that her wanting to share all of the favorites was why she didn’t talk as much as she sang: “Don’t get me wrong because I love y’all, but with 20 years of music, I try to keep the talking to a minimum, you know?”

Her set was a blend of empowering and pro-union ballads (“Me,” “Day One”), friskier grooves like “Lipstick” and “Sandwich and a Soda,” and “Questions,” which was fuel-injected with Lil’ Kim’s “Crush On You” and highlighted by the trio of women playfully rapping the refrain: “I know you seen me on the video, true, I know you heard me on the radio, true….”

Tamia did manage to pepper in a few anecdotes throughout, sharing that she and her husband, former basketball champion Grant Hill, just celebrated 16 years of marriage. She melted everyone with a spellbinding blend of the now-classic wedding song “Spend My Life With You” and Set It Off’s “Missing You,” the latter sung so fervently it practically took on a gospel feel. The serious spell was broken up, however, when she asked if fans knew what the secret to a happy union was: “Okay,” Tamia chuckled as she surveyed the crowd. “You guys got quiet!” (BTW, she answered with “Chaise Lounge”)

Before ending her show with her first-ever hit (“You Put a Move On My Heart”) and her tear-stained signature smash, “Stranger In My House” (“You know I wasn’t gonna leave without doing this one!”), Tamia related humorously that her husband Grant doesn’t always feel flattered when she reveals that she wrote a song for him: “He always looks like ‘uh-oh’ and then come the questions—-‘Honey, um, are we good? You got anything you need to get off your chest?'”

She wasn’t listed on the bill, but Cheri Hauk, one of Tamia’s background singers, was the opening act. The capable vocalist was able to sing Michael Jackson’s classic smash, “Rock With You” and Stevie Wonder’s “Think About You” in practically the same keys as they were recorded. The audience was impressed, sung along and will likely be just as enthusiastic when her first solo single, the upcoming “In The Streets,” makes its debut in a matter of days.

By Melody Charles