Tellin’ It Like It Is

Tonight’s Cheetah Girls performance is an enticing draw, as prefabricated, hyper-mediated corporate franchises go — the musical equivalent of Outback Steakhouse’s Bloomin’ Onion appetizer. Sure, it’s tasty while you’re eating it, but after it’s gone, it’s hard to remember, and you feel bloated and sleepy. Consider instead soulful, sweet-voiced Aaron Neville‘s 8 p.m. performance at the VooDoo Lounge at Harrah’s Casino (1 Riverboat Drive, 816-472-7777). Although Neville was never paid for his 1966 single “Tell It Like It Is,” the No. 2 hit established his career and introduced his uniquely American voice to popular music. The musical brothers Neville have performed solo, in multiple configurations, in groups, and as session musicians and headliners across a span of half a century. And most important, they invented themselves. Tickets to Aaron Neville cost $30 to $40.

Tue., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., 2008