Ll Cool J

By DAVID WOLLOCK

LL Cool J (House of Blues; 1,000 capacity; $ 25) Presented inhouse. Reviewed March 28, 1996. Rapper LL Cool J worked up a major sweat as his compressed, 35-minute medley of songs new and old lit a charged, sold-out house on fire, proving that fans -- especially the ladies -- still love Cool James.
 
Band: LL Cool J, Jay Philpot (Cut Creator), Shaunta Montgomery.
 

With no pause between cuts and a hurricane-like vigor, rap's first superstar sex symbol knocked out abridged versions of hits spanning his 12-year career, fiercely pumping his beefy biceps and fist of brass knuckles to mike-wreckers such as "Rock the Bells" and "I Can't Live Without My Radio." With two stacks of TV monitors screening his every move, the show at times played like a cross between a musicvideo and a commercial for a gym.

LL caught his breath with the honey-coated ballads "I Need Love" and "Hey Lover," the smash first single off his sixth and latest platinum release, "Mr. Smith" (Def Jam). After removing his leather jacket and flinging it out to the crowd, the brawny 27-year-old, now married with kids, refused to bare his chest, despite pleas from female fans. He did, however, indulge them with highly erotic posturing on "Doin' It," this week's No. 8 R&B single with a bullet.

After pounding out show finale "Mama Said Knock You Out," a perspiring LL thanked fans for making "Mr. Smith" such a hit, acknowledging the tepid response to his latest LP: "Sometime's it's bumpin.' ... Sometimes it's just missing sump'n. It's just like boxing -- sometimes you're on the canvas, sometimes you gotta get yo' ass up!"