POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Voice Is All for Solomon Burke

Show-biz pageantry certainly has its place, but why bother when it only obscures the massive vocal talent of a veteran soul man like Solomon Burke?

At the second of two shows Friday at the House of Blues, Burke shared a crowded stage with no fewer than 40 people (musicians, singers, dancers, two sons and a daughter to wipe his sweaty brow), when all that really mattered was the voice .

That Burke isn’t as much a household name as Otis Redding or Al Green isn’t for lack of ability. He was among the originators of soul in the early 1960s, with a voice that moved elegantly from real tenderness to roaring passion.

None of that old theatrical flair was missing at the House of Blues, at either the Christmas-themed opening set or the soul show that followed. Burke shouted and cried, pounding his chest in agony while singing of a broken heart.

Playing behind him was a powerful R&B; orchestra that included a nine-piece horn section and strings. But the second set began with no sign of Burke himself for nearly an hour as the band pursued solos aplenty, and was joined by a succession of guest vocalists of varied abilities: a James Brown sound-alike, a pair of child rappers, a female pop crooner, and Burke’s youngest son--King Haile Selasse Burke--singing a Big Band tune.

When the headliner finally arrived, bearing roses for the audience, it was a welcome sight.