Ruth, Ronnie

But 'Retha and others also please

by Ted Drozdowski

Soul music is usually understood to be an idiom in which heart songs with deep roots reaching to the African-American church and blues traditions are performed. But soul can also be music that seems so naked in its spirit and intentions and execution that it touches the very kernel of what's human inside of us -- whether it's rock, Bach, or Tibetan monks chanting.

Although this year's third annual "Rockport [the shoe company] Rhythm & Blues Festival -- Newport" was heavy on the former type, it was spare on performances that transcended formula to touch the soul. Aretha Franklin wowed the crowd on Sunday, with her church-developed vocal prowess and colorful personality. So did the Neville Brothers, but with a set that favored mellow grooves over their trademark hothouse funk. And earlier that day, '50s doo-wop quartet Speedo & the Cadillacs had offered the best performance, a joyful explosion of wide-ranged harmony singing and sharp steps executed in snazzy red jackets with patent-leather shoulders.

Saturday belonged to Ruth Brown. Sure, the day's headliner, Patti LaBelle, basked in a loving reception for her treacly but charming performance, and rocker Joan Osborne commanded attention with gravel-and-guts singing her CDs only hint at. There was also a rare appearance by Phoebe Snow, digging into her hit "Poetry Man" and R&B classics from Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin. Her very-high-soaring held notes and rippling phrases rode the light warm breezes over the fields of Rhode Island's Fort Adams State Park to the boats anchored off the festival grounds.

But it was Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame member Brown's wit, saucy tunes, and half-century of practiced delivery that reached to the music's core. At 70, she's not the same sweet-voiced girl who cut a string of 87 records for Atlantic in the '50s and '60s. Today's Brown is a wise diva who can shout out the mating call "5-10-15 Hours," lovingly stretch her notes over a slow-smoldering "T'ain't Nobody's Business," and navigate the life-rumpled contours of Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" as a blues. Brown lingers over the vowels of sensitive lyrics until they become draped around the heart. She purrs over or punches at a phrase until it's gotten through to a place way deeper than the ears. And when she's tossing dryly witty asides into "T'ain't Nobody's Business" or dishing out the masterpiece of sex and sass "If I Can't Sell It" ("I'm just gonna sit on it/Why should I give it away"), her comic approach is delightful. Brown makes the kind of music that ignites the soul, makes us happy to be human.

It was the same on Friday night at Newport's Viking Hotel, where she joined Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters for a few songs during a concert that kicked off the festival. Brown and Earl traded licks during "T'ain't Nobody's Business," with Ruth's worldly-wise humor drawing eloquent replies from Earl's trusty old Gibson guitar. It was at the Viking, rather than at the festival in his opening, four-song 11:30 a.m. slot Saturday, that Earl did his soul speaking. A risky gambit. Earl followed the grand bar band NRBQ aiming for the heart, not the feet. But for two hours he plied his unique blues, jazz, rock, and church virtuosity, unfurling melodies so beautiful that even festival promoter George Wein was seduced to the piano for a spin through Earl's "Thank You Mr. T-Bone." (Two years earlier Wein had told me he'd never play at a festival again, blaming his age. But for many years his small groups were a staple of Newport Jazz.) Once he settled into the proper key ("I'm not used to hearing this electric music on stage" he explained later), Wein flashed his agility.

The festival benefits the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which makes awards to artists whose lifelong contributions have advanced the music, assists artists in crisis or in trying to develop new audiences, and is establishing a national R&B archive. Hence the festival's focus on many aspects of the music, from country blues (this year, via the "newly discovered" yet mediocre Piedmont stylist Cootie Stark) to modern pop (LaBelle, Osborne, and Aaron Neville's solo turns). Other performers included raucous 80-year-old piano man Van Walls; Ben E. King, who coasted; Jerry Butler, who sang well but never broke sweat; and Chuck Jackson, who worked the crowd like Otis Redding. The two previous festivals have offered more highs, from Solomon Burke, Etta James, Irma Thomas, Sam Moore, and Bonnie Raitt. And deeper roots, with Pops Staples, Little Richard, and more '50s vocal groups. But this all-embracing celebration of R&B, America's richest wellspring of popular music, has been overdue for decades and is eternally welcome.

Ruth Brown plays the Regattabar July 31 through August 2; call 876-7777.