San Francisco-based hip-hop reggae collective Spearhead [ tickets ] settled into the House of Blues in West Hollywood Monday night to showcase new material and rework some old favorites. The band has been under the radar since 97's Chocolate Supa Highway, but that didn't stop front man Michael Franti from jumping right back into the game.

Franti, an imposing figure, bounded across the stage, working the crowd into a modest frenzy. Songs from the band's debut album Home were of greatest interest to the crowd, but they lacked the thrill and energy of their release back in 1994.

In fact, many of Spearheads older tracks seemed especially dated. Positive, a song about living with HIV, lost all of its musical spirit and played like a public service announcement. At one time the song was funky, now it seems downright educational.

Spearhead's new material didn't fare much better. Songs from their yet-to-be-released third album represented a giant step back for the otherwise musically creative group. Featuring bland R&B arrangements along with annoyingly simple lyrics, very little impressed.

At least two or three of the new tracks were tinged with Brazilian Carnival like instrumentation, an influence that didn't really pay off. Often, Spearhead sounded like the gimmicky party music of Kid Creole and the Coconuts or Miami Sound Machine.

A slowed-down, reworked version of Hole In A Bucket was a highlight of the evening. Although Spearhead reworks this song in concert so often one yearns for the original (and best) album version.

All told, the night was filled with competent playing, but the energy and excitement lagged behind past shows. After Spearhead's last major gig at House of Blues, a three hour jam fest, expectations were high. Unfortunately, those high expectations sabotaged an otherwise average performance.