Bilal impresses at World Cafe Live

The

neosoul

tag never did fit Philadelphia's Bilal Oliver very well. Not in 2000, when audiences were introduced to the classically trained vocalist who was singing hooks on tracks by Common and Guru.

Not in 2001, when his major-label debut, 1st Born Second, coproduced by the Roots' ?uestlove, made a splash with its coolly romantic yet oddly jazzy vibe.

Definitely not when Bilal's weirdly rock- and folk-tinged Love for Sale leaked in 2006 before its release, after which the Interscope label dropped him. (Often bootlegged, it was never released.)

And today, there's nary a hint of neosoul's ease or calm in Bilal's music - not on his new CD Airtight's Revenge nor during Sunday's packed show at World Cafe Live.

From his band's blustery, bluesy intro to the pensively phase-shifting take on his signature hit "Soul Sista," Bilal and his six-piece ensemble defied expectations.

The band acted like Parliament-Funkadelic, leaping as they did from the nimble bounce of doo-wop and the harangue of heavy metal to open, airy jazz and soul. Prominent organs, vibrant bass lines, a rainbow's worth of guitar sounds, and some brusque drumming, tied together by a background vocalist with a most angelic voice; such free-floating arrangements were necessary to accompany Bilal.

Throughout the show - no, during each song - Bilal's vocals went from a flat Bowie-like croon to a high falsetto, from a whisper to a mumble to a screech, then he'd run the scales in operatic fashion, as he was trained to do in school.

During "Sometimes" he let fusion-style jazz bubble below his slow-burning vocals. As the song stopped to simmer, Bilal droned on wordlessly, as if he were using his voice for a Coltrane solo. As "Something to Hold On To" moved from its breezy blaxploitation-style R&B start, with tinkling pianos, to something sharper and harder, Bilal's voice raced dramatically ahead of the groove. To the accompaniment of grungy guitars, Bilal soared through "All Matter" with the breathiest of voices.

Sometimes the audience seemed confused; other times it seemed appreciative of the daring, messy music it had just heard. Either way it was most impressive. Bilal & Co. may not have rewritten the rule book, but they certainly tore out a few pages.