Nostalgic yet new

The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood is the home of the Oscars, but those were Grammy spirits filling the air Saturday at Stevie Wonder’s 10th annual House Full of Toys benefit concert.

For the first time in the event’s history, the host has a new album, “A Time to Love,” in circulation, and instead of presiding as a semiretired soul-music laureate, Wonder came into Saturday’s sold-out show sporting six Grammy nominations. There were other nominees on the bill too, including Fantasia, Jamie Foxx and Maroon 5.

So Wonder was able to do more than a set of oldies in his concert-closing hour, adding such new tunes as “So What the Fuss,” “Shelter in the Rain” and “How Will I Know,” his nominated duet with his daughter Aisha Morris.

None will displace such classics as “Higher Ground,” which opened his segment with a bang, but at least they brought a sense of activity and involvement to counter the increasingly creaky nostalgia.

But it’s not as if the album was a big hit that would add substantially to his audience. In fact, this show marked the benefit’s downsizing, as it moved from the arena scale of the Forum to this smaller and more festive 3,400-seat room.

House Full of Toys, which collects gifts for underprivileged children, is refreshingly different from the powerhouse radio-sponsored pop concerts that fill the Christmas season calendar. Though Wonder’s prestige can rope in big names (Alicia Keys, Nelly, Luther Vandross and Kanye West have appeared in the past), it’s not strictly driven by the lure of contemporary hits.

Its appeal seems more akin to that of a community event and social activity. It’s an opportunity to declare one’s old-school allegiance, and there’s a certain charm and personal feel in its utter lack of slickness, as radio DJ’s desperately fill for time while equipment is set up, and presenters stiffly read information from cards as they introduce the acts.

Its mix of new and old acts also feels refreshingly instinctive and uncalculated, but this year’s four-hour show suggested that a little rethinking is needed to maximize the musical effect.

There just isn’t much point in putting a singer as potent as Fantasia on the stage and then pulling her off after 15 minutes. The tempestuous “American Idol” star turned in the evening’s strongest set, a compressed display of percussive phrasing and build-and-release vocal fireworks, punctuated by an intense stare and jerking body movements.

But she was gone after two songs, a victim of a format that prevented most everyone from creating a full musical impression.

More time for fewer artists could result in the kind of memorable, talked-about performances that give a special luster to such events as Neil Young’s Bridge School benefit.

Making do with the time he had, Detroit singer-songwriter Kem (representing the Motown label that Wonder helped put on the map in the 1960s) sat at the keyboard and flashed a feline allure on his two romantic ballads.

Another young singer, Mario, was less distinctive but was one of the few performers to do a Christmas song.

Old School? Funk from Earth, Wind & Fire, a compact history of hip-hop from Doug E. Fresh (the only act to effortlessly get the crowd animated and on its feet), jazzy R&B; from the Laws Family (flutist Hubert and singers Eloise and Debra). The sister duo Mary Mary served a dose of R&B-flavored; gospel.

Foxx, of course, is familiar with the Kodak stage from the Academy Awards, and he previewed a song from his album, which comes out this week. He also did the Ray Charles bit, singing “What’d I Say” with Wonder on piano. That was one of several drop-ins by Wonder, and they provided the evening’s memorable moments, even if they didn’t ignite musically: singing and playing harmonica with Maroon 5 on “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” adding harmonica to the Laws’ “Very Special,” bantering with Cedric the Entertainer, one of the show’s hosts.

House Full of Toys looks as if it’s found a new home. All it needs now is a little clutter reduction.