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Kick Out the Jams

Macy Gray at the House

of Blues, March 1

Pop quiz: What do Counting Crows, Run DMC, Garth Brooks, Britney Spears, LL Cool J and Van Halen have in common? (Hint: Think high-fructose corn syrup.)

Give up? They all cashed in their pop-star celebrity for big-dollar soda endorsement¦s and effectively doomed their music to years of hawking corn chips and economy cars. Former Fugee Wyclef Jean provides an especially illuminating example. After blissfully banging away on the steel drum in a Pepsi commercial in 2001 ("Joy of Pepsi, y'all"), Jean made the regrettable decision to record covers of Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" and Franki Valley's "Oh What a Night." In the process, he taught us all a powerful and important lesson: Beware R&B stars turned cola-drink peddlers; they will betray your devotion.

Thus, it was not without trepidation that I approached the Macy Gray show Saturday at the House of Blues. Having recently heard Gray's familiar, whiny timbre endorsing Mountain Dew Code Red, I was prepared for the worst--stripped-down, media-friendly, unfunkified soul.

But Gray proved quite literally larger than life, taking the stage just before 10 p.m. in a crushed-velvet pea coat and frilly pink cravat. At least a head taller than anyone in the band and sporting a wild, Sly Stone-esque afro, Gray turned out an ultra-smoove blend of old-school and new-school, including such crowd favorites as "Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak," "Caligula," "Gimme All Your Lovin' or I Will Kill You" and "I Try." She even allowed a sneak peek at her new material with "When I See You," the first single from her forthcoming The Trouble with Being Myself album.

Still, Gray's band may have provided the night's most memorable moments. Shunning note-for-note re-creations of her songs, the band peppered each with a little something new--from Jackson Five-era scratch guitar to chop-bustin' bass breakdowns. During the latter, Gray declared, "I want you all to shake your ass," and she gradually shook her generous money-maker to the ground. Not surprisingly, the packed house followed suit, throwing hands into the air and doing a little hip shaking of their own.

So, the good news is that--despite a few questionable advertising detours--Macy Gray remains the modern-day queen of funk. Now, if someone will simply be there to remind her that it is unusual for an R&B diva to cover Tom Jones, she might be able to hold on to her crown.--Newt Briggs