POP MUSIC REVIEW : Sledge’s ‘Slow Soul’ Sings

In his first Southern California appearance in more than 20 years, Percy Sledge was introduced at the Normandie Casino on Saturday as “the king of slow soul,” and the veteran singer fit that bill.

His 1966 No. 1 hit “When a Man Loves a Woman,” of course, is a classic for the ages--and “Out of Left Field” and “Take Time to Know Her” should be too. Add James Carr’s “Dark End of the Street” and Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay” to the set list and you can’t miss for slow material.

Sledge, who’s been playing East Coast clubs since the late ‘60s and a few years ago enjoyed a born-again chart hit in England after “When a Man” resurfaced as the soundtrack to a jeans commercial, rarely strayed from slow tempos.

Although he strained to reach some high notes, Sledge’s appeal, as always, rested on the distinctive, quavering tone of his voice--and that was fully intact. The local quartet Bobby Cochran & the Rhythm Rockers provided solid backing.

Sledge’s performing style might redefine the concept of understatement, but he did pull off a shocker by tackling Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” The mournful melody fit him like a glove, but hearing Percy Sledge sing such lines as “One of 16 vestal virgins / Was leaving for the coast” was still pretty bizarre.