Wyclef Jean is an artist best served live.

On record, the former Fugee all too frequently lapses into a droning cadence that not only obscures his socially conscious lyrics, but makes you want to shake your MP3 player until you hear some vocal inflection.

But onstage is where Jean thrives.

At the kickoff concert of the 14th season of Fridays at Sunset last night, Jean's energy escalated as his layers of clothing dropped to the stage.

At the start of his 90-minute gig at Kanawha Plaza, Jean, wearing droopy jeans and a black and red jacket, sauntered on stage, a feathered mask covering his face.

"No Woman, No Cry" seemed an oddly mellow choice for a show opener, until the song exploded into a chorus of, "No more drama . . . the next president is Obama . . . everything is gonna be all right!"

Politics have often colored Jean's music -- a heady mixture of reggae, rock, rap and world beat -- and last night, during "If I Was President," Jean rapped over a stomping bass line about electing "Wyclef for president," in between name checking Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

As a performer, the Haitian-born, Brooklyn-reared Jean is an endearing showoff. Early in the show, he strapped on an electric guitar, scrunched his eyes and unleashed his Hendrix-influenced ripping the traditional way, then changed to playing behind his back and with his teeth.

The crowd of about 1,500 -- which spent most of the concert doing the hand bounce -- was enraptured by Jean's vigorous display, which compensated greatly for his middling singing ability (as on the pedestrian "Gone Till November").

Jean's sister, Melky Jean, who joined her sibling for most of the show, clearly snagged all of the potent singing genes.

But Jean's rap skills, however, are tremendous.

At the end of the intriguing Caribbean-colored rocker "Fast Car," from his current album, "Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant," Jean slipped into a provocative, spiraling rap that included references to 9/11, Martin Luther King Jr., Ray Charles and Shakira.

His limber lips were matched by supple dance moves, which he supplied during an old-school medley (including "It Takes Two" and "Rapper's Delight").

As his DJ -- joined onstage by a taut three-piece band -- spun, Jean stripped to a white undershirt and popped some moves with a couple of fans.

Of course he threw in a couple of impressive handstands -- just another dash of entertainment.
Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.