Evans and Dru Hill Outshine Lackluster Material

Like so many contemporary R&B; stars, Faith Evans and vocal trio Dru Hill are promising artists whose musical conservatism has paid off handsomely, and judging by the crowd’s enthusiastic response to their respective sets at the Universal Amphitheatre on Friday, it’s easy to see why they’ve stayed the course.

Evans, widow of slain rapper the Notorious B.I.G., has enjoyed a successful solo career since 1995. In some ways, she’s R&B;’s anti-diva: She doesn’t revel in surface glamour and she’s a pillar of fortitude when it comes to bad relationships.

On Friday, Evans belted out tepid material that offset romantic chicanery with exhortations to dance, but were really just an excuse for her to let fly with her powerful voice. Darting from low, rumbling notes to soaring melismas, Evans proved her mettle as one of R&B;’s most exciting singers--even if her material never rose above serviceable.

Dru Hill suffers from an even more acute case of imagination deficiency syndrome. The wildly popular trio leaned heavily on heavy-breathing ballads, all of which made the women in the audience squeal with delight. Yet despite the band’s muscular delivery, its impact was blunted by assembly-line material and a corny stage show that only underlined the band’s synthetic, by-the-numbers approach.