Gregory Isaacs's Hour of Power

The women crowded in the bathroom of the Crossroads nightclub, waiting for reggae legend Gregory Isaacs to perform, were worried. "You know he's getting up in age," one fan remarked, and several others nodded in agreement. They expressed concern that Isaacs, who turns 55 this year, might no longer be capable of bringing the sort of elegant intensity and unforced vitality that have kept his music relevant and dear for four decades.

Contrary to that speculation, however, Isaacs was a revelation on Sunday night. Backed by the band Live Wyya, the prolific singer gave a tiny but dynamic sampling of his tremendous body of work. Natty in a turquoise suit and black fedora, Isaac offered smooth vocals over nasty bass line combos including "My Number One," "Tune In" and "Night Nurse," the best-known of Isaacs's hits, which appears on his 1982 album of the same name.

Toward the end of the hour-long show, Isaacs broke up the placid, airy vibe with a taste of the music that defined his more dancehall-centric days. Jump-ups such as "Ragamuffin" and "Rumours," which is still a club standard at almost 18 years old, silenced any talk of the singer's diminished capacity.

-- Sarah Godfrey