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Angelique Kidjo used the Camp Concert Hall stage as her soapbox last Friday night, spreading messages of love and unity between her songs.

A songstress from the Republic of Benin, Kidjo combines jazz and Latin influences with traditional African vocals to help preach her peaceful message. She has worked with Dave Matthews and Carlos Santana and won a Grammy earlier this year for best contemporary world music album.

"My microphone is my weapon of mass loving," she said from the stage.

Kidjo addressed a wide array of topics between her songs, from loving your family unconditionally, to worshipping God without violence or hate, to treasuring every living moment you have on earth. She spoke passionately, addressing the audience with vehement conviction and quick-witted humor, pacing the stage in a feisty frenzy.

Her music was no less passionate. Kidjo's voice had an organic quality; it was the kind of voice that is steeped in tradition, the kind of voice that can sing in unknown languages and still remain as powerful as anything you could understand. Many of the songs were sung in the style of her hometown in Benin, and others were traditional African blessing songs. Backing her on stage were an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a bass and a wide array of drums and exotic percussion instruments.

"Let's bring Africa right to Richmond!" she shouted from the stage.

Kidjo also sang songs from her latest album, "Djin Djin," and covered "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, whom she called "the best rock and roll band of all time," and "the band that realized that without the blues, there is no rock and roll."

Throughout her performance, Kidjo danced all over the stage, contorting her body in a kind of electric jig and shaking her hips to the rhythm of the drums. She seemed almost manic at times, throwing her body around and spinning in circles with her arms thrown wide open. Although Camp Concert Hall is full of seats, she ordered the audience to their feet.

"Let me tell you the first rule when you come to my concert: You have to sing and dance," Kidjo said after the first song.

The audience was reluctant at first, staying in their seats, but soon a group of students was dancing in the front row. A white-haired woman followed, and by the end of the third song a dancing, writhing mass was spilling into the aisles. During one song, Kidjo left the stage to join the audience dancing on the floor, and soon she invited a group up on to stage with her. They danced behind her as she sang her last two songs, and she wove in and out of the mass, interacting with everyone on stage. One of the drummers came out from behind his drums with a bongo strapped to his side and challenged people's feet to keep up with the frenetic pounding of his hands.

As she was leaving the stage after her encore, Kidjo said, "For me, being on stage is like being in heaven," and watching her perform, you could tell that she is most at home when she is in front of an audience, inviting people to be a part of her musical family.