(Cue trumpet fanfare) . . . ”Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome me, Terence Trent D`Arby, the greatest pop star on the planet . . . .”
A couple of years ago, a proclamation was made that among the mortals a genius had been discovered. It made no difference that Terence Trent D`Arby, the proclaimer, was also the genius in question; many were astounded by his brash attitude and expressive voice, then gushed over his arrogant, yet adventurous flare for adding an adventerous pop slant to a traditional Motown sound.
”The Hard Line According to Terence Trent D`Arby,” hailed by its creator as a masterstroke, was creative, but ostensibly light fare-a glimpse that perhaps brilliance did exist beneath a tarnish of devoted self-promotion.
But we saw little of it in performance: When the genius in question made his only appearance in Chicago, it was a short meeting, as D`Arby walked off stage at the Vic Theatre in the middle of his set.
Two years later, a recalcitrant and mildly less flamboyant D`Arby returned to the city. And in a full-length show at the Park West Tuesday night, his performance proved while genius can only be recognized in time his time may soon be approaching.
After opening the show with a modest apology for his tantrum at the Vic
(he blamed it on himself), D`Arby and his explosive band of eight ran through a pick of soul classics, including Smokey Robinson`s ”Who`s Lovin`
You” and a bit of Sam Cooke`s ”Wonderful World.”
But a respectful taste of the past was only a warmup for his own recent vision of Motown retro and experimental, psychedelic punch from his latest LP, ”Neither Fish Nor Flesh” and the hits from ”The Hardline.”
Anchored at center stage, D`Arby first offered potent versions of ”Seven More Days” and ”Wishing Well,” from ”The Hardline” before turning to the new atmospheric ode ”To Know Someone Is to Love Someone.”
While his voice at times carried Robinson`s timbre and glimpses of Stevie Wonder and James Brown among a list of soul greats, D`Arby`s impassioned delivery made it clear he had no intentions of mocking the past but sought to embrace it from his own enticing perspective.
Though faltering at times, D`Arby`s missteps were overshadowed by the earthy rock of ”Dance Little Sister,” ”Roly Poly” and the gospel-influenced ”I`ll Be Alright.”
The trip back down to earth seems to have had little effect on D`Arby`s talent as a performer. As genius fodder for the 1990s, he might have pop`s best shot.
