Beyond Shaggy’s Sexual Gimmicks

Reggae artist Shaggy is best known for the lurid sexual bragging of such hits as “Boombastic,” and he did not disappoint on that count Tuesday at the Key Club. But the diverse music and a smattering of consciousness made his high-energy, 90-minute show a little more than mindless bump-and-grind.

The Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-raised toaster specializes in dancehall come-ons, which begin to sound one-note (not to mention gratingly sexist) on his current album, “Hot Shot.” But in person he was charismatic and actually winning, even when playfully admonishing “the ladies” that it’s their fault when men stray, because they look too good to resist. Besides, he advocated equal-opportunity shenanigans with “It Wasn’t Me,” urging everyone in the mostly young, integrated crowd to lie if caught in a tryst.

His tunes incorporated dub, ska, funk, R&B; and hip-hop. In grand reggae tradition, the songs blatantly borrowed pop hooks, such as nicking from the Jacksons’ “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” for the single “Dance & Shout.”

Four vocalists sang backup and traded lines with their leader, providing a rare moment of depth by segueing into “Rivers of Babylon” during Shaggy’s 1993 hit “Oh, Carolina.” Of course they also indulged in the usual audience-participation shtick, but the infectious sense of fun made such tired practices as the battle of the sides and put-your-hands-up feel at least genuine, if not fresh.