POP MUSIC REVIEW : Blige Is Solid but Elusive Hip-Hop Queen

Mary J. Blige arrived on the Universal Amphitheatre stage Monday seated on a throne that rose from the depths--she is, after all, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.

But by the end of the New York-based singer’s first major headlining show here, the question had been raised: Is she expanding her realm or is she bolting from the palace?

Blige’s 1992 debut album, “What’s the 411?,” announced an artist with the vocal instincts of a traditional soul singer and the attitudes and arrangements of the hip-hop generation.

Here was a singer rather than a rapper, but one from the projects instead of the penthouse. In contrast to the rarefied pop vocabulary of a Whitney Houston, Blige was closer to the streets and to the strains of core R&B.;

Blige drew the most flattering and dangerous of all comparisons: to Aretha Franklin. Not just for the similar vocal timbre and the gospel-rooted swoops and embellishments, but for what some sensed as a melancholy spirit, a current of darkness running through even her most upbeat music.

When her second album, “My Life,” came out late last year, Blige seemed determined to revise that image, finding a less edgy musical setting for songs that reflected more contentment than desperation.

On stage Monday, Blige didn’t do much to clarify her position. It’s not that she was exactly lost in the big, flashy production, but with four instrumentalists, four backing singers, six dancers, a deejay and an emcee, things tended to be disjointed, distracting from rather than focusing her artistry. While the emcee’s interludes pumped up the party mood, Blige’s periodic departures kept her from sustaining her spell.

When she was able to concentrate on singing, Blige displayed a rare combination of power and discipline, avoiding the standard soul diva showiness in favor of a restrained approach that allowed her natural vocal power to illuminate the emotions at hand.

After opening with a handful of songs from her debut, Blige devoted the rest of the set to the current album. These songs have their moments but they don’t provide much of a lyrical or musical challenge. Norman Whitfield’s 1977 composition “I’m Goin’ Down” brought her closest to classic soul roots, a needed contrast to the show’s prevailing synthesized sound, which was high on energy and rhythmic snap but low on depth and variety.

Ultimately, it was up to Blige to assert the force of personality that would tie these diverse threads together, but she seemed too caught up in the steps and the costume changes to show the aggression, charisma and spontaneity that would let her dominate the stage and establish her agenda.

The sunglasses she wore for much of the show, making her appear distant and alien, symbolized her reluctance or uncertainty. As she descended on her throne at evening’s end, this queen remained an enigma.