Blige’s Intense Vocals Rise Above All the Flash

Even though she was supported by an army of 15 backup singers, dancers and musicians, there was no denying that Mary J. Blige’s voice was the main attraction Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre.

The Yonkers, N.Y., singer’s stage show was virtually superfluous because her rousing vocals rose above the evening’s music and the occasionally flashy moves of her dancers. Her voice is that powerful and seductive an instrument.

Blige stands as somewhat of a heroine in the R&B;/hip-hop world, having the respect of artists in both genres and working easily with artists of both backgrounds. So it was fitting that she took the stage after a short, action-packed cartoon in which her likeness obliterated the forces of evil.

Having donned a wild red wig and white bra-top, pants and elbow-length gloves, Blige opened her 100-minute set with an explosive rendition of “Deep Inside,” a single from her most recent album, “Mary.” Throughout the show, Blige added little of her own visual flair to her set, only occasionally--and then, briefly--joining with her dancers.

Most often, she swaggered across the stage, drawing power from such emotion-drenched hits as “I’m Going Down” and “Reminisce.” Maybe her towering high heels made the usually nimble Blige feel somewhat awkward.

The surprise of the show came during “Don’t Waste Your Time,” a song from “Mary” that featured a duet with Aretha Franklin. When Franklin’s image was shown on a video screen, the assumption was that Blige was going to re-create the album version by singing along with Franklin’s prerecorded voice.

But the video seemed to malfunction, and Blige ordered her band to stop. She then directed some profanity-filled remarks at the technical staff before resuming the song--minus any more images or any vocal from Franklin.

The incident underscored the increasing emotional intensity and confrontation that resonates through Blige’s music. In the early ‘90s, her songs focused on a quest for sincerity, love and respect. She still centers her music on relationship-based issues, but she now delves deeper into them.

In this show, the first of two at Universal, Blige displayed the remarkable vocal prowess that showed why she’s been dubbed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.