Casual Charisma

Riding high on the insistently sexy single “Dance Tonight,” R&B; supergroup Lucy Pearl almost overheated the House of Blues on Sunday, stretching every groove to the limit as the capacity crowd reveled in the sweaty, celebratory vibe. If this casual-jam approach ultimately made the group less dynamic than such neo-soul peers as D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, the band got a lot of mileage out of its charisma and chops.

The “Lucy”--as in “loosey”--part of the group moniker chosen by singer-guitarist Raphael Saadiq (Tony Toni Tone), singer Dawn Robinson (En Vogue) and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) means the association is open-ended and casual. Also reflected in their self-titled debut album’s unfettered blend of soul, funk, rap and rock elements, that looseness was even more pronounced during the House of Blues set.

After the seven-piece backing ensemble warmed up the audience with a lengthy buildup from languid gospel licks to a sexier dance groove, the principals seemed poised to take the audience to exciting heights. Singing solo, Saadiq offered a mature come-on in “Lucy Pearl’s Way,” while Robinson admonished a former rival to back off in “Don’t Mess With My Man.”

The two were even more charismatic when teaming on such sensual pleasures as the upbeat love song “Everyday.” Muhammad’s presence was far more low-key, although he showed a flash of winning personality when he capped the long band introduction with a rundown of Saadiq’s considerable accomplishments.

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Lucy Pearl was less imaginative in concert than on its album, which emphasizes musicianship and songwriting. Saadiq’s guitar work provided some tasty moments, but he was no Prince on the ax. Although the ensemble’s driving, rock-inflected funk hinted at a full-fledged inferno in the making, the show rambled so much that it only smoldered.

The pacing also was problematic, as some tunes meandered and the show closed without an encore following a drawn-out take on “Dance Tonight,” complete with some extended battle-of-the-sexes-style audience call-and-response shtick.

Along with the new songs, Lucy Pearl wove nods to the players’ prior acts into the fabric of the show, offering snippets of, and longer takes on, such numbers as En Vogue’s “Hold On,” Tony Toni Tone’s “Feels Good” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo.” Bolstering the party-time feeling, Tribe rapper Q-Tip (who guests on the Lucy Pearl album) dropped in to contribute a couple of lines, and, acknowledging the presence of Magic Johnson in the house, to congratulate the Lakers on clinching their playoff victory earlier in the evening.