If any singer epitomized the pop sound of the mid- to late ’70s, it was Boz Scaggs. His huge-selling “Silk Degrees” album was as much a part of the period as Billy Carter jokes, while the album’s funk-lite 1976 hit single “Lowdown” was a bright spot amid the disco dreck that surrounded it on the radio.
Scaggs has had a pretty low profile since 1980 or so, releasing a couple of unsuccessful albums, touring occasionally, but mainly staying home in San Francisco, where he owns one of the city’s top music clubs, Slim’s.
On Thursday, Scaggs made a rare Chicago appearance before a sold-out Park West crowd, most of whom appeared old enough to have bought “Silk Degrees” when it was new. Looking a bit grayer around the temples at 50 but still, well, slim, Scaggs treated the audience to both old favorites and new material in a show that never quite caught fire.
Of course, Scaggs has always been more of a crooner than a screamer, but the first half-dozen tunes were truly soporific. The worst offenders were “Sierra” and the title song from his forgettable new “Some Change” album. You say you haven’t heard anything on the radio yet from the album? You can thank your friendly radio programmer for that favor.
Finally, Scaggs and his seven-piece band came alive with the Bobby “Blue” Bland-style “Runnin’ Blue,” in which Scaggs provided a reminder that he’s a pretty decent blues singer and guitarist. After another forgettable new tune, the country-style “Fly Like a Bird,” Scaggs gave the audience the song they wanted to hear, the ever-funky “Lowdown.” “You gotta have a jones for this, a jones for that/But that running with the Joneses just ain’t where it’s at,” Scaggs sang in his silky-smooth, blue-eyed soul man voice. He followed the saccharine ballad “We’re All Alone” with a surprisingly hard-rocking “You Got My Love” from his new album, before ending the night with the bouncy “Lido Shuffle.”
More Top Picks Porch Swings
On the whole, though, there were far too many flat spots in his show. Maybe all those years in semiretirement have rendered Scaggs laid-back beyond redemption, but a few more songs like “You Got My Love” would have gone a long way toward making one feel any sense of passion for his music.
Opening was young acoustic blues man Keb’ Mo’ a k a Kevin Moore. While he demonstrated a heavy stylistic debt to Taj Mahal, his songs from his self-titled new album also showed signs of a fresh perspective on traditional blues.