Pop Music Reviews : ‘Reggae Warrior’ Moses Captures Club Rex

It’s tempting to say the best thing about Wednesday’s Pablo Moses-Charlie Chaplin show at Club Rex in Santa Ana was that the darn thing finally started. Even by the loose standards of many reggae events, beginning 2 1/2 hours after the advertised show time was pushing it.

Fortunately, Moses was worth the wait. Ambling on stage and plugging in his guitar, he declared himself a “Reggae Warrior” (over the insistent groove of a song with that title)--and it was pretty hard to argue.

Wearing an expression of unsmiling determination, the veteran singer-songwriter addressed a variety of topics, from sociopolitical issues and Rastafarian concerns to the simpler matters of romance. Such periodic pithy blasts as “Freedom for the Africans” had fans hanging on every word, even when the words involved less weighty statements, like “I Want to Be With You,” a pledge of devotion to a mate, that Moses delivered with a silky croon.

Opening act Charlie Chaplin didn’t wear an ill-fitting suit or carry a cane--but he was a wag. Considered the “deejay” who poses the stiffest competition for Yellowman’s reggae pre-eminence, Chaplin almost lived up his reputation. He certainly cut a cartoonish figure on stage, which helped reduce the irritation of his introducing most numbers as being “from Charlie Chaplin to you.” (Thanks.) He also shook things up a bit with a Michael Jackson/”Billie Jean” spoof, and by performing “La Bamba.” You haven’t really lived until you’ve seen a Jamaican reggae band blaze through a full-tilt version of “La Bamba.”