Al Green; New Birth; a Taste of Honey; Undisputed Truth; Mcfadden & Whitehead

By TODD EVERETT

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Whitehead (Universal Amphitheatre; 6,251 seats; $ 45 top)
 

The Universal Amphitheatre show was a love-fest, with women in the audience all but swooning as Green passed out roses to those in the front rows. His set (an hour long, almost to the second) consisted mainly of his '70s hits, with a touch of gospel and a brief tribute to his more pop-oriented influences.

He seemed to be on cruise control much of the time, encouraging the very willing audience to sing his choruses for him, and never quite managing to sing a number all the way through; Green will never challenge James Brown's title of the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.

TX:Presented inhouse in association with the Pacific Concert group. Band (Green): John Sangster, Anthony Royal, Dennis Bates, Ambric Dridgefort, Lawrence Lee, Warren Gaston, John Williams, Daryl Wells, Daryl Wells Jr., Deborah Sweeney, Carolyn Welch, Levestra Thomas. Reviewed June 28, 1996. Long past having to prove anything, Al Green today stands as one of the icons of soul On the other hand, Green's presence is so huge, and he seems to be having so much fun, that there's a lot to compensate for his throwing away many of the songs.

For example, there was a glorious "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"; a swaggering version of "I Can't Get Next to You," featuring a scorching guitar solo by Lawrence Lee; and a medley of "Amazing Grace" and "Nearer My God to Me" that makes Green's Memphis church a must for musically inclined tourists of any faith.

Material from his current MCA album, if any, wasn't noted as such.

Opening were the current versions of a quartet of acts whose greatest fame came in the '70s. Each now includes at least one original member to carry the torch, if not exactly fan the flames.

Gene McFadden & John Whitehead were a pleasant surprise, largely because they emphasized songs they'd written or produced for the O'Jays ("For the Love of Money,""Backstabbers") over their own 1979 "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now."

Joe Harris remains from the Undisputed Truth, but it was an unidentified female singer who all but stole that group's segment; A Taste of Honey (including Janice Marie Johnson from the original duo) was simply strange, with "Sukiyaki" (the singer in full kimono) and a thin "Boogie Oogie Oogie"; and New Birth (headed by Melvin and Leslie Wilson) shone with its 1974 revival of Skylark's "Wildflower."

Music, alongside Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye -- and at the right hand, figuratively speaking, of Ray Charles.