Pampered pop stars who head for the hills of Hollywood tend to have an easy ride. But the tide flows one way - film stars who attempt the crossover have a tricky time. And tough as he may be, even the all-American action hero Steven Seagal can’t beat that tide. His performance tonight is damp and patchy, with the only real delights coming from fruitful backing band, Thunderbox. Firstly, Steven suffers from a chronic lack of stage presence. During the opening songs, he’s lifeless and turgid, his face set in a scowl. Even as the set picks up pace, he treats crowd interaction as a chore. Could it be stage fright? Or is it bare-faced arrogance? My guess is the latter – after all, this a man who insists on being referred to as the Mojo Priest, the title of his latest album. Yes, he can kill a man on screen with his bare hands, but when it comes to charming a venue, Hollywood's hardman is hopeless. So he should be thankful to his fantastically talented backing singer – smooth New Yorker Jermaine Paul. Not only does he possess a rich captivating voice, but he oozes so much charisma that he could probably get Donald Rumsfeld's feet tapping. And behind every man, there’s a great woman. In this case it’s British diva Jaki Graham – a fervent and flexible backing singer. But perhaps this is too tough on Steven – he’s not a total lost cause. He is an astonishing blues guitarist, and every stellar guitar lick confirms this. But the problem is that his love for the blues borders on obsession. At times this is less of a gig, and more of a fiddly and intimate embrace between Seagal and his Stratocaster. His mastery and maturity on the guitar is impressive, but he really needs to invite the crowd into the mix – it would make a rousing ménage à trios. Seagal must reconsider his priorities – it doesn’t matter whether he wants to remain Steven Seagal, or reinvent himself as the Mojo Priest. Until he puts more into his gigs, he won’t be making any name for himself in the realm of live blues music. Steven Seagal and Thunderbox played at the UEA, Norwich, on Thursday, 1 March, 2007.Photo credits: Ben Piper. | 
