If each critical rave equaled a thousand record sales, singer-songwriter Jules Shear would easily be selling in the platinum range. As it is, after half-a-dozen solo albums as well as recordings as a member of the Reckless Sleepers and Jules and the Polar Bears, Shear remains a cult artist better known for the hits he’s written for others, including “If She Knew What She Wants” for the Bangles and “All Through the Night” for Cyndi Lauper.
For his part, Shear, who will be appearing Saturday at Schubas, takes it in stride. But with the release of his dazzling new album, “Healing Bones,” the Woodstock, N.Y., resident sees some encouraging signs.
“My music has always existed in this sort of land for which there hasn’t been any real radio format until now,” said Shear, whose songs deftly combine literate lyrics with irresistible pop hooks. “Now there’s this new `Triple A’ (Adult Alternative Album) format, and with the album out just a few weeks, we’re already getting played on a lot of those stations. I take that as a sign that rather than me adapting to some radio format, there’s now a format that has adapted to suit people like me.”
The last couple of times Shear played Chicago, once opening for Alison Moyet, who had a major U.K. hit with his “Whispering Your Name,” and the other time in a songwriter’s showcase, he played solo acoustic. This time around, Shear will be joined by a three-piece electric band, though he says he may do a few solo numbers.
Many may not know that Shear developed and hosted the original MTV show that became “MTV Unplugged,” which launched the “unplugged” mania that may have reached its nadir with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s new acoustic album. Shear laughs when asked if he should be blamed for the fad.
“People may be sick of hearing the word `unplugged,’ but basically I still think it’s a good thing,” he said. “For better or worse, it allows people to take the music down to that original germ, which is a good thing to see. If someone is really terrible playing unplugged, then they’re probably just really terrible. There’s a lot less to hide behind, which is a good thing in music.”
At heart, Shear considers himself a songwriter more than a performer, though his appealing, Jackson Browne-ish vocals make the songs on “Healing Bones” eminently radio-friendly. He’s says that finishing a new song still provides him with a major creative buzz.
“It gives me the same kind of feeling as when I was a little kid hearing the new Lou Christie single for the first time,” he said. “You’re hearing something that didn’t exist before and you’re the one that made it happen. That’s what I try to do when I write songs-recapture the feeling I had as a kid hearing a new song on the radio that I really liked. I love that feeling.”
Opening is another ace songwriter, Paula Cole, whose impressive vocals and songs on her new “Harbinger” album show why Peter Gabriel chose her as his duet partner on his recent WOMAD tour.
Other concerts of note
Everything But the Girl, Friday at Park West: Vocalist Tracey Thorn and multi-instrumentalist Ben Watt are Everything But the Girl, whose acoustic-based sound has been described as “folk R&B.” That’s as good a description as any, as Thorn’s hauntingly soulful vocals dominate the mix on their insidiously catchy new album, “Amplified Heart.” Thorn and Watt will be appearing without any backing musicians at this sold-out acoustic show.
Stereolab, Saturday at Metro: Fresh from the second stage at Lollapalooza, Britain’s Stereolab play punchy pop music with an emphasis on tunefulness. The band’s sound is built around French singer Laetitia Sadier’s appealingly dispassionate vocals and the copious use of cheesy-sounding Farfisa and Vox organs. It’s a winning sound that can best be described as ’60s going on ’90s.
The Beat Farmers, Saturday at Avalon: San Diego’s self-described “kings of loser-friendly flophouse rock” are the ultimate bar band, mixing bash-it-out rock ‘n’ roll with some rousing country twang. Adding significantly to the Beat Farmers’ fun quotient is drummer Country Dick Montana, whose manic basso profundo vocals on gems like “Baby’s Liquored Up” and “Gettin’ Drunk” from the band’s new “Viking Lullabys” album are a definite hoot.
The Bottle Rockets, Saturday at the Elbo Room: If you liked the late, lamented Uncle Tupelo, you’ll like the rock/country sound of St. Louis’ Bottle Rockets. Frontman Brian Henneman toured and recorded with the aforementioned group, and his Bottle Rockets recall everyone from Neil Young to Lynyrd Skynyrd to, yes, UT on their fine self-titled album for the East Side Digital label.
African Music Festival Chicago ’94, Saturday and Sunday at Cricket Hill: This free two-day music and dance festival at Cricket Hill near Montrose Harbor will feature some of Africa’s biggest names performing musical styles including soukous, makossa, highlife, reggae, calypso and soca. Among the acts are Diblo Dibala & Matchatcha from Zaire, Prince Eyango from Cameroon, Dan Davies and Gideon Alorwoyie Foli from Ghana, Morekeba Kayote from Senegal and Tchaka from Haiti. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; call 312-728-2411 for more information.
Collective Soul, Sunday at the Hard Rock Cafe: Since playing Metro just two months ago, Collective Soul’s “Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid” album has gone platinum. One of the biggest rock success stories of the year, here’s your chance to catch them for free at this 7 p.m. show.
More Top Picks Towel Warmers
The Rolling Stones, Sunday and Monday at Soldier Field: The two Stones shows ought to be an excellent capper to an event-filled (and wallet-bleeding) summer outdoor concert season. Advance word from previous stops on the “Voodoo Lounge” tour has been overwhelmingly positive. Expect the group to sprinkle in about half a dozen tunes from the “Voodoo Lounge” album in their just over two-hour show. While they’ll include perennials like “Tumblin’ Dice,” “Honky Tonk Woman,” “Brown Sugar,” “Jumping Jack Flash” and “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll,” they’re also performing such less obvious songs as “No Expectations,” “Monkey Man” and the Temptations’ “I Can’t Get Next to You.” There will be a large video screen above center stage so you can check Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for any new wrinkles since the “Steel Wheels” tour. Opener Lenny Kravitz will do a 45-minute set of his retro-’70s rock/funk material and may join Jagger for a duet on “No Expectations.” Sunday’s show is sold out, though at press time some tickets remained for Monday.
Boz Scaggs, Thursday at Park West: Along with Hall & Oates, Boz Scaggs defined “blue-eyed soul” in the late ’70s with such monster hits as “Lowdown.” What many people forget is that Scaggs was a fine blues singer and guitarist before his slick “Silk Degrees” heyday. After a six-year hiatus from recording and touring, Scaggs is back in support of his new “Some Change” album, which lies somewhere between the earthiness of his early albums and the uptown polish of “Silk Degrees.” Limited tickets remained at press time.