POP MUSIC REVIEW : Teen Tunes Stifle Spencer at the Roxy

If you think “Imagine” still belongs only to John Lennon, you’re misinformed. Tracie Spencer owns a piece of it now.

On Wednesday at the Roxy, the 16-year-old R&B; singer proved once again that her version of Lennon’s classic composition holds its own against the original. Spencer transformed this gentle ballad, which she recorded on her debut album in 1988, into a rousing show-stopper, brimming with unbridled passion and gospel-like fervor. Spencer has range and power that few 16-year-olds--and not too many adult singers, for that matter--can match.

Until that song, which closed her hourlong set, Spencer had been in her Janet Jackson mode, a flip, hip-swinging teen flanked by acrobatic male dancers and routinely cranking out dance tunes. It was clear that Spencer has a terrific voice, but the material didn’t allow her to really show it off. Her band was playing so loudly that she was often forced to shriek to be heard. It wasn’t until she sang “Imagine” that you knew you were in the presence of an unusual talent.

As a singer of teen tunes, Spencer is rather undistinguished--though the danceable “This House,” which hit No. 3 on the pop chart a few months ago, does have merit. Gearing her to the teen market makes commercial sense. Creatively, though, her fortunes lie elsewhere.