POP MUSIC REVIEW : Darius Rucker Powers Strong Set by Hootie & the Blowfish

Hootie & the Blowfish landed at the House of Blues on Monday with a high-energy mix of rock, gospel, folk, country and the usual pop formulas. Keyboardist John Nau joined the Columbia, S.C., quartet for the concert, re-creating his soulful Hammond organ parts from the band’s “Cracked Rear View” album, but what held the show together at a consistently uplifting level was singer Darius Rucker.

While there was a sameness to much of the night’s material, Rucker’s raspy, bluesy tenor gave a passionate focus to the band’s straight-ahead groove rock. That mix reached explosive proportions on a funked-up take on Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” which had the singer crying out and guitarist Mark Bryan bounding into the air.

Halfway into the set (which was videotaped for an upcoming House of Blues in-concert TV program), Rucker said he that he was suffering from strep throat, which he was treating with “antibiotics and beer.” But there were no obvious flaws in his voice, even during a puzzling, a cappella version of Barry Manilow’s “Even Now”--an impressive enough vocal turn, but still not a very interesting song.