POP MUSIC REVIEW : Regina Belle at At My Place

It’s a shame about Regina Belle.

The R&B; singer, who appeared at At My Place Thursday night, doesn’t have much good material. She’s also caught up in pop trappings that are threatening to strangle her.

When it comes to sheer vocal skills--range, power and the ability to convey feeling--Belle has few peers in the genre. But on Thursday she was singing up-tempo songs with Bobby Brown-like arrangements, apparently to appeal to the kids. She was also singing ballads mired in pop excesses.

Belle’s hourlong show included maybe two or three songs worthy of her talents. With her pedestrian instrumental support, she was like a diamond in a setting studded with pebbles. She was accompanied by uninspired, plodding musicians who did nothing to enhance the material. Her backup singers were a help on a few songs, but most of the time they were just a distraction. Belle is quite capable of carrying a show vocally all by herself.

Belle’s focus is all wrong. She should be going in Anita Baker’s direction, focusing on stirring, quality ballads. Her accompaniment should be spare--that’s all a superb singer like her really needs.