LeRoy Bell, Part Two -- Check him out at The Seasons

LeRoy Bell's resume is impressive more than it's instructive.

He's from a music-industry family, he had a hit in the disco era as half of Bell and James, and he's written songs for the likes of Elton John and The Temptations. But none of that has much to do with the music Bell is making now. The soul-pop, singer-songwriter thing he's got going these days, though not a rejection of his previous work, is a departure.

"I wanted to just do an acoustic thing and just kind of write some songs for myself," explains Bell, who plays The Seasons tonight. "It was, 'I'm going to do this, and if nobody likes it, no big deal; at least I got it out of my system.'"

This new incarnation, a purer expression of his musical persona, was the result of a decision about seven years ago to transition from writing for others to performing his own material. So, more than two decades after the 1979 Bell and James hit "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)," a dance number that hit No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Bell found himself shopping around a demo and "begging for gigs." One of the guys who heard it was Terry Morgan, now the bass player in LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends.

"He said, 'Hey, I want to play in the band,'" Bell says. "And it just kind of evolved into what it is now."

What it is now is a three-piece outfit, led by Bell with Morgan on bass and Davis Morgan (formerly of Maktub) on drums. Bell has released five albums since 2004, including a 2007 live album. Though there have been stylistic changes among those albums -- some have a little more soul or R&B sound, others have a more straightforward pop vibe -- Bell's voice is distinctive. Like Bill Withers in the 1970s, Bell produces a sort of quiet soul sound that has as much in common with James Taylor as it does with Otis Redding.

Though that sound hasn't returned him to the top of the charts, Bell has carved out a nice niche touring midlevel clubs nationwide and plays to a devoted fan base. With songwriting royalties still coming in from a pair of Elton John hits -- "Mama Can't Buy You Love" and "Are You Ready For Love" -- as well as tunes he co-wrote for the O'Jays, Temptations and Spinners, James says he feels free to make the music he wants these days. And he's discovered the thrill of taking the stage.

"That was phenomenal to me," he says. "I never really got the live bit from Bell and James. Now I live to play live."

By all accounts, those live shows have an energy that doesn't quite translate on the albums.

"He's got a really unique style as a singer-songwriter," says Ellie Strosahl, booker for The Seasons. "And his performances are really high-energy."

Bell agrees with that assessment.

"There's just an energy level that is hard to get on a record, because you're feeding off of that instant emotion," he says.

That's what has made this second career of his so rewarding, he says. A husband and father in Seattle who drives his son to soccer practice just like anyone else, Bell doesn't need to be out on the road. And he's not making a fortune at it, but he loves it.

"I'm not any less proud of what I did before," he says of his early years in the business. "But I'm probably most proud of what I'm doing now."

The Bell show represents something of a new direction for The Seasons as well. Known primarily for its chamber music and jazz concerts, the venue has hosted a few pop-oriented acts such as roots rocker Alice Stuart and bluesman Taj Mahal. But those have been few and far between. Starting with the Raul Malo concert in December, Strosahl has made an effort of late to broaden the venue's appeal beyond the turtleneck-and-blazer crowd.

"We want to reach out to new audiences in the community," she says. "And we want to offer good music of all varieties."

Bell, she says, fits that role perfectly.

* Pat Muir can be reached at 509-577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.

If you go

WHAT: LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends.

WHERE: The Seasons Performance Hall 101 N. Naches Ave.

WHEN: 7:30 tonight.

TICKETS: $15, available at 888-723-7660 or www.theseasonsyakima.com.

UPCOMING SEASONS SHOWS: The Seasons is making an effort to broaden its offerings beyond its classical and jazz bread and butter. In addition to tonight's act, the venue will host contemporary Christian star Jadon Lavik on Jan. 21, jazz pianist Bill Charlap on Jan. 22, Elvis impersonator Danny Vernon on Jan. 29, and blues rockers Too Slim and The Taildraggers on Feb. 11.