Fans of hard-edged funk, jamming guitars and thoughtful ballads should have been at the Zephyr Club Thursday night. Terence Trent D'Arby was there, and he rocked the house.
The man and his band - lead guitarist Louis Metoyer, drummer Stephen "Stevo" Theard, bassist Kevin Wyatt, keyboardist Michael Dorian and saxophonist Gary Herbig - stepped in front of a packed house and punched out the syncopated intro to "Vibrator," the title cut from D'Arby's new album.Without a pause the band slipped into "Supermodel Sandwich" that featured a dazzling strobe-light show. D'Arby's Pucklike physique, complete with short blond-dyed hair, was caught within the lighting as he bumped and bobbed.
The sound mix was clean, with the exception of high pitched feedback that occasionally cut through the music. Still, the older-aged audience didn't seem to mind. They were too busy shaking to the beats.
Other dynamic set selections included "Dance Little Sister" from D'Arby's debut album "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby" and the Calypso syncopation of "Do You Love Me Like You Say?" from the album "Symphony or Damn (Exploring the Tension Inside the Sweetness)."
During each song, the catlike D'Arby would snake his body in twisting contortions. He even did a James Brown shuffle step and gave it the D'Arby flame.
While D'Arby and the band dipped into the sentiment with "Undeniably" and "If You Go Before Me," the restless crowd seemed to prefer the faster, funky ditties. And it was during these selections the man would almost mesmerize the audience with thumpy grooves.
With the flip of the hand, D'Arby would lead the band into a reggae-influenced jam such as "I'll Never Turn My Back on You." A rousing rendition of "She Takes Me Higher" followed suit.
"If You Let Me Stay," D'Arby's debut single, became a more delivered anthem, complete with his trademark controlled screams. Ironically, that song was the weakest of the set. The beat, though bottom-heavy as ever, dragged a little too much. But the band regrouped and shot out the No. 1 single "Wishing Well" to the audience's delight.
Slipping once more into thoughtful sentiment, the music slowed for the good pop ballad "Tolerance," a song about unity. The saxophone staccato-laced "Dance Little Sister" then took the crowd into a grinding frenzy.
The encore included the flamboyantly eerie "She Kissed Me" and the gospelesque "Holding on to You." After which the band hushed and let D'Arby deliver an a capella version of the Jackson 5 blues anthem "Who's Lovin' You."
Throughout the night, Metoyer stretched his guitar strings for blazing solos during the heavy jams and held back to highlight the slower, resonant works. Theard and Wyatt showed the most versatility as they shifted rhythms from funk to reggae to blues and pop. D'Arby held everything together with his octave-jumping range.
Those who attended the show found themselves drawn into wondering what the man would do next.