Soul/r&b

Clutching onto what is left of the neo-soul movement, Ohio native Lyfe Jennings has come a long way from handing out free CDs and being everybody's opening act. Unfortunately for Lyfe he dropped his debut album, Lyfe 268-192 (Sony), in August 2004, when the R&B circuit was already crowded with male crooners. Fortunately for him, most of them were no good—and some of the better ones were stuck playing sidekick to rappers or fighting child sex charges. Fast-forward a year and Lyfe has built a solid fan base with the help of popular single "Must Be Nice," which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard charts and stayed in heavy radio rotation. Stopping in Philly with Goapele and Dwele, Lyfe is questing to prove that neo-soul has just a little more shelf life—just a little.

Sat., Dec. 10, 8 p.m., $23.50, with Goapele and Dwele, The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-5483, www.thetroc.com.