For the first time in more than two years The HYPE! returned to the upstairs room at World Cafe Live on Wednesday, Dec. 14 for an evening of Singers and Songs. This show spotlighted five Philadelphia acoustic acts for a compilation of songwriting, singing and showmanship. The night included acts by Karley Cohen, Catherine Prewitt and the Temperature, da(Y)ma, Rebecca Way and Dylan Andre.

The night was organized by none other than Boy Wonder (aka Andre Coles), musician and organizer of The HYPE! He explained that, whether the shows take place upstairs or downstairs at World Cafe Live, he usually books full bands, so there will be no shortage of new and varied acts in the future. This event was actually the first time The HYPE! hosted a fully acoustic set, and the night got underway with some originals and covers by Cohen of Lower Merion.

Prewitt took the stage in a new band configuration called the Temperature. Most of the set was Prewitt on guitar and vocals with piano accompaniment. By the end of the set, however, she was joined by another guitar, as well. Her crooning stretched from a ballad about a favorite West Philly garden to wrapping up with a Christmas song just in time for the holidays.

Next to play was the duo of Dana K. Fiero and Am Williams, who perform as da(Y)ma. Their style was folky, almost Celtic in a way, and vocally strong. They opened up with a few more romantic and personal songs but also moved onto a touching tribute to Kurt Cobain. Even the riff sounded a little reminiscent of an acoustic Nirvana song. From the Seattle scene, they packed up and moved all the way to Costa Rica to finish up their performance – lyrically anyway.

Way strapped on her guitar for a solo set, which was bluesy and highlighted her deep alto voice. One of her tunes was a reworked poem by James Fenton entitled “In Paris With You.” She put the poem to music for a moving song about the City of Light.

The finale was by performer Andre. In case that name sounds familiar, he made it to the second round of “America’s Got Talent” this past summer. He has a crisp falsetto and sings with a soulful voice that is almost as energetic as his guitar playing. One song he played was a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” Originally, he was asked to play the Skynyrd song on “America’s Got Talent,” but he reworked it instead of simply playing a straight cover.

Keep your ears open for all sorts of new acts as part of The HYPE! World Cafe Live is a great venue for wide-ranging artists of all kinds, but supporting local musicians is where it all begins.

World Cafe Live is located at 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400.