Ten years ago, R&B was a house divided.
Established performers like Anita Baker and Luther Vandross created music that embodied traditional R&B values of brilliant singing, sophisticated arrangements and polished musicianship, while an insurgent generation of hip-hoppers was blasting out massive, beat-heavy grooves, aggressive attitude and low-rent production.
With the emergence of New Jack Swing in the late ’80s, R&B brought forth a style that merged the most salient traits of both camps.
Now, a new generation is forging its own unique blend of R&B tunefulness, hip-hop attitude and upfront sexuality. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the U.I.C. Pavilion will host a showcase featuring four of R&B’s new breed.
R. Kelly: Kelly has exploded into the R&B stratosphere with a velvety, libidinous sound that couples old-school euphony with contemporary groove-grinding. In just five years, Kelly has risen to almost unparalleled eminence in the genre. His recent, eponymous third album sighs with soothing, satin-toned melodies, cool grooves and salacious pillow poesy that could inspire a pair of bricks to mate.
L.L. Cool J: As a teenager, Cool J became one of rap’s biggest sellers, first by capturing its lean, tough sound, then by cutting that sound with a more tuneful pop polish. Since then, he’s struggled to maintain both his street credibility and his crossover popularity. His latest record, “Mr. Smith,” has it both ways, veering between spare, punchy harangues and silky, soulful love raps that’ll steam up your woofers.
Xscape: Made up of four young women from the Atlanta area, Xscape puts its mellow vocal harmonies and traditional soul moves in the service of slow-burn, late night R&B. This will be a trio performance as band member Tiny Cottle is on maternity leave.
Solo: This uniquely configured group of three vocalists and an upright bassist swirls together glossy doo-wop harmonizing and romantic songcraft. While Solo’s singing-style can recall the Impressions or the Drifters, the band’s Jam & Lewis-produced debut record is rippled with lush echoes of ’70s soul.
Individual listings are by Rick Reger unless otherwise noted.
MX-80, Saturday at the Empty Bottle: When MX-80 came whirling out of Indiana in the late ’70s, its amalgam of sawtoothed dissonance, frenetic rhythms and crushing power chords was like little else. Fronted by Bruce Anderson’s corrosive guitar leads and Rich Stim’s deadpan vocals, MX-80 contorted simple pop tunes into dark, tumultuous yet alluring prog-rock. Despite years of crippling legal problems and abysmal obscurity, MX-80 has survived intact.
Cowboy Junkies, Thursday at the Riviera: Within the glass cathedral of the Cowboy Junkies’ music, a variety of emotions writhe, yet they’re all arrayed with the same languid wistfulness. Pensive, vaguely pretentious lyrics are blended with crystalline tunes on the Junkies’ new “Lay It Down” album, with occasionally gem-like results. But the band’s studied sang-froid is both precious and wearying.
Cibo Matto and Run On, Friday at Lounge Ax: On its “Viva! La Woman” CD, Cibo Matto transports hip-hop from its familiar urban turf into the murky, spectral landscape of the psyche. Innovative, dreamy soundscapes and elliptical, surreal lyrics inspired by food supplant the genre’s usual gun-metal grit. Run On’s superb new record “Start Packing” beautifully intertwines propulsive grooves, pungent bursts of discord and memorable pop melodies.
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Earl King, Friday at Buddy Guy’s Legends: New Orleans guitarist Earl King is renowned for his songwriting as well as his own recorded output over a 43-year career — he’s written and sung such classics as “Those Lonely, Lonely Nights” and “Come On” (the latter recut by Jimi Hendrix as “Let The Good Times Roll”). When King gets fired up onstage, his showmanship recalls his 1950s mentor Guitar Slim (as does Earl’s frequently iridescent wardrobe). King’s last two albums for Black Top have ranked among his best work; he remains a venerated hero down in the Big Easy.
– Bill Dahl
Black Grape, Sunday at the Metro: Like a burglar’s warehouse, Black Grape’s “It’s Great When You’re Straight . . . Yeah” record is crammed with an odd miscellany of appropriated musical styles. Led by former Happy Mondays honcho Shaun Ryder, Black Grape piles bits of funk, rock, rap and psychedelia atop feverish dance grooves. The resultant clash of color can be interesting, but the band’s gaudy music emits a basic party buzz rather than a real listening experience.
Wayne Shorter, Monday at Park West: Though Shorter’s place among the most influential creators in jazz is secure, the quality of his recent work has become a subject of intense debate. To fans, Shorter continues to push out the boundaries of jazz improvisation; to detractors, he has diluted his music by venturing into pop-music cliches. Listeners will be able to judge for themselves when Shorter plays this rare live date as leader of a fusion-accented quintet.
– Howard Reich
The Band, Friday at the Vic Theatre: Whether this once-legendary outfit rolls on out of habit is debatable, but based on its new “High On The Hog” album, the Band no longer cruises on inspiration. Though these guys can still muster their signature sound — even without Robbie Robertson — the new album’s dearth of original material and phlegmatic tempos suggest the tank is just about empty.
Kate Jacobs, Saturday at Schubas: Like a bookish farm girl raised on ’60s and ’70s Top 40 radio, Kate Jacobs pens highly literate, country-scented songs that tastefully pair up pop hooks with reflective lyrics. Jacob’s sweet, Dolly Parton-ish voice melds perfectly with that distinctive mix, amplifying her tunes’ gentle, pastoral charm.
Scrawl and Varnaline, Friday at the Empty Bottle: Though Scrawl possesses neither fetching vocals nor dazzling chops, its rough-edged yet melodic guitar-rock is some of the best on the indie circuit. Recently signed to Elektra, this Ohio trio also delivers a thoroughly engaging live set. Varnaline’s new “Man of Sin” record is mostly acoustic, lo-fi tunes occasionally etched with striking, plaintive melodies. Motorhome also performs.
Sacred Reich, Sunday at the Thirsty Whale, River Grove: On its new album, “Heal,” Sacred Reich unleashes a deft mastery of heavy metal’s many modes, from thrash-metal fury to sludgy Sabbath-like menace to hook-strewn hard rocking. Disdaining the genre’s threadbare cliches, this veteran quartet lets fly with a catchy, sandblasted punk-metal onslaught.
DC Talk, Saturday at the Rosemont Horizon. What started as a sophomoric rap group has matured into a Christian alternative powerhouse with the release of “Jesus Freak.” It’s been no sales slouch either, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard charts. But can the DC threesome pull it off live? Opening will be another band tearing up the Christian alternative scene, Audio Adrenaline.
– Lou Carlozo
Byther Smith, Wednesday at Koko Taylor’s Chicago Blues: Here’s your last good reason to stop by Koko’s, which closes for good at the end of the month. Chicago guitarist Byther Smith’s uncompromising lyrics ooze intimidating menace, while his lead guitar work sparks with time-honored nastiness. Smith has a new album due before long from Delmark; perhaps he’ll preview its highlights at Koko’s.
– Bill Dahl