R & B Stars Heat Up Wiltern Yule Cooldown

Just sitting through a high-energy, four-hour-plus concert--such as radio station KKBT’s annual Holiday Cooldown at the Wiltern Theatre on Thursday--should count as aerobic exercise.

Watching performer after performer gyrate through their various sets during the concert was like going for the burn by osmosis.

K-Ci and JoJo, members of the R&B; band Jodeci, didn’t exactly go the aerobic route for this event--which raised money for My Friends’ Place, a homeless youth center--but they did treat fans to an explosive, soul-drenched performance.

K-Ci, who looks and sounds like a young Bobby Womack, worked himself into a veritable frenzy on that old-school icon’s hit, “If You Think You’re Lonely Now.” Despite their youth, K-Ci and JoJo possess the fiery, church-honed performing instincts that are the stock in trade of singers from Womack’s ‘60s generation. Brian McKnight was another crowd favorite as the lean and lanky singer executed some smooth moves on “You Should Be Mine.”

Babyface and Shanice Wilson were introduced to the audience by Theo, the most popular disc jockey on the station best known as “92.3 . . . the Beat,” and they briefly launched into a couple of a cappella numbers. But the trouper of the night award would have to go to the female trio SWV, whose member Coko hobbled onstage on crutches with a bandaged right foot for a brief, entertaining set.

Chico DeBarge--who returned to the record business last year after spending six years in prison on drug conspiracy charges--was mobbed by several young women as he sauntered down into the audience for a sexy rendition of “Iggin’ Me,” his current single. After breaking free from his admirers, he quipped, “Now I know why I’m back.”

Like Maxwell, D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, DeBarge has a sound that owes a big stylistic debt to ‘70s soul, while managing to sound wholly fresh and original. He’ll be a talent to watch in ’98.

Somethin’ for the People raised the temperature in the Wiltern a few notches with its hit “My Love Is the Shhh!,” a suggestive little ditty that has put this Bay Area-based band on the R&B; map. As for the groups Nest and H-Town, they could easily launch lucrative careers as male exotic dancers should their singing gigs ever hit the skids.

Jon B. tried valiantly to go down the bumper’s path during his well-received set, but was frequently upstaged by his more athletic and aerobically charged back-up dancers.