Freddie Jackson at Greek: Hip-Thrusts, Good Will

Freddie Jackson is a cuddlesome charmer, no doubt, and that’s the core of his appeal. When those wild vocal notes start flying all over the map--some of them making their destination, some not--it’s easy to start wishing for the precision and soul-assured technique of a Luther Vandross. And when Jackson starts to dance , thrusting his pelvis hither and yon like a Chippendale’s dancer who’s fallen off the Pritikin diet wagon, well, it’s not exactly a lust-inducing sight.

But Thursday night at the Greek Theatre, Jackson--resplendent in baby-blue sequins and satin--put on a show that engendered so much good will among his audience that it was easy to overlook a few out-of-control notes and overly zealous hip thrusts.

When Jackson let a hyperventilating woman in the front row wipe his sweaty brow with a towel and then gleefully crowed, “I messed her up! “ it didn’t sound like smug arrogance--he seemed genuinely awed that he could have that kind of effect on someone.

Opening act Vesta Williams is another performer in the give-’em-more-more- more mold. Dancing so exuberantly at one point that she busted a bra strap, the L.A.-based vocalist was undoubtedly raw. She also could grow into the kind of singer mentioned in the same breath as Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin.

The bill also plays the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim tonight.