POP MUSIC REVIEW : Reggae Diversity Makes Big Splash at the Greek

An aura of familiarity hung over the annual “Reggae Sunsplash” at the Greek Theatre Saturday--headliners Aswad and Freddy McGregor (pinch-hitting for the absent Dennis Brown) are frequent Southern California visitors, and Big Mountain is based here.

But the absence of fresh faces or new approaches didn’t faze an unusually festive (even by Sunsplash standards) capacity audience.

One reason: Reggae has become so multifaceted that the old complaint that it all sounds alike is thoroughly outdated. For Aswad, the music’s versatility proved to be a mixed blessing.

The patchwork performance featured bits of this and that--from a live dub workout to deejay Solomon’s rapid-fire delivery breaking up the sweet vocals on “Don’t Look Around”--but it didn’t allow Aswad’s sophisticated, harmony-heavy core style to take hold.

Big Mountain continues to make all the right moves in its transition from San Diego club band to international concert artist. The strong response to “Touch My Light” and “Baby I Love Your Way” testified to the group’s pop-reggae instincts, and its message songs are pointed and powerful enough to allow lead singer Quino to cut down on his preachiness.

McGregor turned in his usual professional set, but the Wailing Souls lost momentum when they tailored their music to fit their modern dance-club fashion sense, after clicking early with a strictly roots sound.

Deejay Sister Carol delivered the most consistent set of the day (the first of two at the Greek), with positive messages in heavy patois bringing roars of approval from the Jamaicans in attendance. And she performed what must have been the first Sunsplash version of “Wild Thing,” which first brought her wide attention as a memorable closing credit sequence to Jonathan Demme’s film “Something Wild.”

Also appearing was Worl-A-Girl, more memorable for aerobics choreography than anything musical, and the Christian reggae band Christafari.

* “Reggae Sunsplash” (without Aswad) appears today at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara, 3 p.m. $15.50-$26.50. (805) 568-2695. Also June 11 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (with Buju Banton in place of Big Mountain), 8800 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, 4 p.m. $16.50-$25. (714) 855-4515; June 12 at Open Air Theatre (same lineup as Irvine), San Diego State University, 6 p.m. $15-$27.50. (619) 594-6947. Dennis Brown’s status on future shows is still uncertain. Food and crafts fair begins one hour before show time.