Lucy Pearl Still a Hit Despite Lineup Change

The female face of neo-soul supergroup Lucy Pearl changed, but the high-energy groove remained the same Monday at the Knitting Factory Hollywood, where singer-guitarist Raphael Saadiq (formerly of Tony! Toni! Tone!) and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad (ex-A Tribe Called Quest) performed their first concert with the band’s new third member, R&B; singer Joi.

When the act debuted last year, Saadiq, Muhammad and original singer Dawn Robinson (ex-En Vogue) explained that “Lucy” (as in “loosey”) meant the association was open-ended and casual. In November, Robinson refocused on the solo album she had put on hold, and Joi--who has released three solo recordings and will have a new album out later this year--replaced her.

During Monday’s sold-out 80-minute show, Joi’s colorful presence added a brashness to the collective vibe, with a voice rawer and shoutier than Robinson’s classy, velvet-and-steel purr. The trio and its seven-piece band performed most of its debut album, “Lucy Pearl,” and additional material including selections from Joi’s forthcoming album.

The pacing was tighter than at the group’s House of Blues show last June, but the set retained its P-Funk-like sprawl. The musical blend of funk, rock, soul and hip-hop was made more hard-driving, the better to suit Joi’s style, but at times the players could have stretched out even more.

Although Joi proved compelling on her own material, she also meshed well with Saadiq on such let’s-talk-it-out numbers as “Trippin’,” and with the three backup singers on such outstanding ensemble moments as the ticking, tension-filled “Can’t Stand Your Mother.”

Mostly the group celebrated party time and romance, as in the hits ‘Dance Tonight” and “You,” but it successfully turned serious for “Remember the Times,” a soulful plea to emphasize unity over the pursuit of money.