Thicke has long been happily partnered with his gorgeous actress wife, Paula Patton, (currently starring in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). So when he climaxed "An Angel on Each Arm," his opening number, by asking, "Can I get all up in your body tonight, baby? Can I get all up under your skirt tonight, baby?", the queries were probably not taken too literally by anybody, no matter their stage proximity.
Thicke, 34, the L.A.-raised son of actors/singers Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring, began penning tunes as a teen. But besides contributing songs and production to Michael Jackson, Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Marc Anthony, Usher, Jennifer Hudson et al., he has had a solo career gathering steam since his 2002 debut.
Thicke's tour of intimate venues is ostensibly to promote his fifth studio album, Love After War. And his smooth delivery of the new record's lush, lovers-reconciled title track was a highlight. But Thursday night's show showcased his pivotal 2006 disc, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. Half the set derived from it, including the beautiful, bossa-nova-inflected closer, "Lost Without U," a song inherently soft enough to allow the many women singing its chorus to be heard. Thicke took advantage, melismatically vamping over the top, gracing the house one last time with his Prince-ly falsetto and vocal synthesis that can suggest both a white Marvin Gaye and a male Sade.
And, yes, the ladies up front were indeed served plastic cups of champagne.
