Willis’ love of R&B; is no act

Bruce Willis has returned to moonlighting. We’re not talking about the TV series that launched his career, but his part-time avocation as an R&B; singer. It would be easy to assume that the action hero is as convincing a musician as Willie Nelson is an actor, or Garth Brooks is a third baseman, but in truth, Willis did anything but die hard when he played Wednesday at the House of Blues in Anaheim.

He recognizes the fundamental importance of surrounding himself with talented pros, and with an ace outfit such as his Accelerators, featuring a pair of crack guitarists and the lithe, muscular rhythm section of drummer Josh Kelly and Blasters bassist Johnny Bazz, Ben Stein wouldn’t sound half bad.

The musical safety net notwithstanding, Willis exhibited a genuine love of classic R&B;, blues and rock in renditions of such chestnuts as Ronnie Hawkins’ rollicking “Who Do You Love?” and John Fogerty’s swampy “The Old Man Down the Road.” They rose well above the bar-band basics often turned in by actors who go slumming in pop music.

His raspy voice is well-suited to the genre, but especially in slower tunes that hinge more on interpretive skills, the difference between a singer with good instincts for rhythm and the ability to carry a tune versus one with full command of vocal subtleties -- think Delbert McClinton -- became glaringly apparent.

In the end, Willis gave his predominantly female audience its money’s worth, including a catchy song he wrote, “Don’t Ya Like Us.” Willie Dixon may have nothing to fear as a composer, but no doubt Willis could clean Arnold Schwarzenegger’s clock in a celebrity battle of the bands.