India.Arie connects with genuine life lessons

India.Arie calls herself shy, the “least likely” person to spend an hour performing “experiments” onstage for an adoring crowd drawn to her songs of folk and earthy soul music. But Friday at the Universal Amphi- theatre, the singer-songwriter was proud and loose, strong and unpretentious.

Chatting easily between songs, Arie assumed the freedom to dabble in human beat box, duel with her guitarist and attempt a flute solo that was raw but evocative. In a flowing white dress, and with a big yellow flower behind an ear, Arie floated around the stage during her band’s early instrumental passages. Not the usual sign of a shy person.

Performing songs from her largely acoustic new album, “Voyage to India,” Arie offered simple life lessons with a warm and forceful soul sound in the tradition of classic Stevie Wonder. Likewise, much of her set had her virtually alone on acoustic guitar, including a version of Minnie Ripperton’s “Loving You” that was true to the original, even the aching high notes, while making the song her own.

Earlier, the three rappers of Slum Village performed with an often spare, jazzy vibe, though the big beats sometimes overpowered the other music in the mix. Floetry, a London female duo, performed a soul sound that was romantic and sometimes cutting. The two singer-rappers sent voices in all directions, both disciplined and utterly free to roam, following traditions from Ella Fitzgerald to Wonder to Lauryn Hill.

With bass grooves that were deep and embracing, the voices were backed by a powerful, if quietly emotional quartet that would be worth hearing even without the voices out front.