POP and JAZZ REVIEWS : ‘Stuttering John’ Needs Better Backup

When movie or TV-radio stars moonlight as singers, it’s usually a case of marginal talents trying to cash in on their popularity.

Is John Melendez, a regular on Howard Stern’s radio show as “Stuttering John,” just another hard-rock hopeful who can’t sing?

Surprisingly, no.

We’re not speaking Steven Tyler, but Melendez does have some talent. Backed Friday night at the Roxy by a trio that played every cliche in the book, Melendez shrieked--without stuttering--some material from his debut album, “Stuttering John.”

While there was passion and energy in his vocals and guitar-playing, there was no real grit or imagination in the music. He badly needs better material and stronger accompaniment.

Though Stern had been hawking this engagement all week on his radio show, the Roxy was far from filled and even those on hand weren’t all that enthusiastic.

At the end of his set, Melendez walked off stage, obviously hoping for applause to bring him back for an encore. Despite just a smattering of clapping, he came back anyway.

During his between-songs chatter, he stuttered only a few times--with the drummer dutifully underscoring each episode with a drum roll. On the way out, one fan grumbled that Melendez should have stuttered more: “I wanted him to stutter like he does with Howard.”