Maxi Priest Fills House With Love

London-born reggae singer Maxi Priest bounced onto the House of Blues stage Wednesday with his flowing dreadlocks reaching his waistline and his feel-good Rastaman vibrations filling the room. By the time the self-proclaimed “man with the fun,” finished his two-hour set, there was no doubt as to his power as a performer and the beauty of his singing voice.

Priest, whose music is a hybrid of reggae rock, R&B; and occasional hip-hop, was able to prove that despite his crossover success--he’s one of reggae’s best-selling artists--he’s no pretender. As the versatile, buoyant performer swayed through such songs as “Sure Fire Love,” his clear voice cut through the vibrant rhythms without ever being overwhelmed by the volume of the music. At times he ran around the stage as he sang, at others he moved his hips suggestively, but as he sang his love songs, he never descended into “slackness”--the nasty, sex-and-profanity rude-boy talk that once pervaded dancehall music. His bouncy rendition of “Just a Little Bit Higher,” a proclamation of his Rastafarian faith, had a triumphant, spiritual tone.

Priest’s greatest talent might be transforming rock songs into reggae pieces so distinctive that they seem like his own. His masterful, carefree turns through Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” and the Police’s “Message in a Bottle” lifted the spirits and had the sold-out house singing along. Unity and love are two of the most important concerns of good reggae music--and Maxi Priest showed that you can find them in a rock ‘n’ roll songs as well.