GOSPEL, BLUES, PROTEST MUSIC : SWEET HONEY HONORS KING

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles kicked off its commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with a lively--and often thrilling--evening of music at the Wiltern Theatre on Saturday.

Headliners Sweet Honey in the Rock, a Washington, D.C.-based female quintet, evenly balanced its a cappella renditions of gospel, blues and protest songs with an informal overview of King’s accomplishments as a civil rights leader.

In praising King during the concert, quintet leader Bernice Reagon said, “Each person gets many chances in their life to take a stand, and you shouldn’t pass any of them by.”

There is a raw, unprettied feel to Sweet Honey’s sound, rather than cold, technical proficiency. Songs like the emotion-charged “We Who Believe in Freedom” and the urban blues “Your Worries Ain’t Like Mine” convey their commitment to themes that shake up, rather than soothe, the spirit.

This music recalls the ‘60s protest movement, and there’s the danger that it might seem quaint or dated and no more relevant than an old photo album. But Sweet Honey in the Rock’s socio-political stance makes it all as timely as today’s headlines. Reagon made several parallels between the civil rights movement of the early ‘60s (when she was a member of the activist Freedom Singers) to today’s efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. The evening’s two renditions of “We Shall Overcome” served to unite the eras.

Dressed in tie-dyed African gowns called djellbahs , the women accompanied their singing only with a beaded gourd, tapping feet and clapping hands. Theirs is a dignified, almost stern manner of delivery, though near the conclusion of an hourlong set, dignity had given way to festive celebration as they danced tribal-style with flailing arms and impassioned energy.

“I want the roof to lift a bit tonight,” Reagon had said at the concert’s onset; judging by the response of the audience, she got her wish.

The opening act, the Clark Sisters, had to work much harder to get the near-capacity house to respond to its sanctified style of singing--or rather preaching, since music seemed secondary to the Detroit gospel quartet’s constant admonitions to praise a Jesus who was “hung up for your hang-ups.”

Except for a jazzy, scat-laced version of “That’s What My God Has Done for Me,” the group downplayed the secular-oriented style of gospel that has earned it some crossover recognition. That meant lots of soul shouting, lots of holy-roller dancing and lots of preaching.