The Isley Brothers put on an old-school show Sunday night at the Mahaffey Theater — old-school in the best possible way, where priority number one is: entertain the people.
The group’s crisp, 90-minute set overflowed with joy, even during sad moments, like when lead singer Ronald Isley choked up during the first few bars of “Jesus Loves Me,” a tribute to Whitney Houston (a woman in the crowd consoled him with, “it’s all right, baby”). The Isleys performed a generous portion of the hits from their going-on 60-year career, ranging from the deeply funky (“It’s Your Thing,” “Fight the Power”) to a bevy of sexy groove ballads, including “Between the Sheets,” “Footsteps in the Dark,” “Smooth Sailin’ Tonight,” “For the Love of You” and others.
The Brothers, who team-wrote most of their own material, found a niche during their 1970s hey day: covering recent hits by white artists, infusing them with soul, and targeting them at African-American audiences. The band transformed a treacly tune like Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze” into a feel-good R&B anthem, accented by Ernie Isley’s razory guitar licks. On Sunday night, “Summer Breeze,” which featured an extended Ernie solo, was joined by a spirited, albeit brief, version of Stephen Stills “Love the One You’re With,” a tiny snippet of Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay,” and a deeply felt take on Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” (which, side note, was precisely half the number of classic Todd Rundgren tunes that Todd Rundgren played during his Mahaffey show in May).
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The band, which for awhile included five actual brothers, now features two: lead singer Ronald Isley, who, at age 76, can still hit (most of) those sensual falsetto notes; and Ernie Isley, a 65-year-old guitarist deeply influenced by Jimi Hendrix, who played in the Isley Brothers band for a two-year stint in the mid ‘60s.
The Isleys have long been one of the undervalued acts in the annals of American pop. While the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, they are not often mentioned in the top tier (Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Aretha, Stevie Wonder, et al) or noted for their innovative brilliance (i.e. Curtis Mayfield). But this is the only act that placed songs on the American charts in the 1950s (“Shout,” the night’s rousing closer), 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s (“Contagious”). Their incorporation of guitar-heavy rock flavor on songs such as “That Lady” earns the group credit for putting new imprints on black American music.
They’ve learned a few things along the way. Sunday night’s show incorporated aspects of a classic R&B revue. Ron and Ernie were backed by a six-piece band (all clad in flowing white); three extraordinarily fit and ever-smiling dancers; and two backup singers, who took solo turns. Ronald’s wife Kandy (35 years younger than him) showed off Whitney-esque pipes, while Ernie’s daughter, Alex Isley, sang Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing” with cooler restraint.
The show included humor (Ron exhorting the “ladies,” “don’t change, don’t go to Jenny Craig”), heaps of romance (roses tossed into the crowd) and the kind of sexual themes that were almost chaste by today’s coarse hip-hop standards. Several women from the audience danced on stage — hokey, yes, but it brought a smile to your face. There were plenty of impromptu (and unsolicited) crowd sing-alongs.
The show only once lapsed into excess —when Kandy Isley belted “Jesus Loves Me,” and continued to belt, and then belted some more. It was one of those flashy gospel moments that are staples of an R&B revue, but I couldn’t help thinking that the band could’ve better spent those minutes playing “Harvest for the World,” an uptempo folk-soul tune that is among their most socially conscious. That song got the scantest of references, a Ronald a cappella snippet, ballad-style.
Oh, well. The Isleys didn’t play one of the songs I had specifically hoped to hear. I’ve picked my nit. The uplifting concert started at a Sunday-friendly 7:15 p.m. and ended at 8:45, with no encore. We made it home by 9:15, just a tad too late for Game of Thrones.
This article appears in Aug 3-10, 2017.