By Miles Marshall Lewis

There was a time when it looked like a cadre of neo-soul singers would lay waste to the R&B of the moment, reclaiming the space for the experimental soul of the 1970s. ?uestlove from The Roots was fond of a Star Wars metaphor in the late ’90s, telling many eager ears that Lauryn Hill was Princess Leia, D’Angelo was Luke Skywalker, etc. — taking rhythm and blues back from the Dark Side. At the 20th arrondissement’s La Bellevilloise recently, Bilal reminded Paris of his soul Jedi status.

Around the time of his 2001 début, 1st Born Second, Philadelphia’s own Bilal Oliver played a promotional series of shows known for their kamikaze style. He often drank and smoked beforehand; I’ve alternately seen him drop his pants like Marvin Gaye, dry-hump a sister onstage, and threaten to rob Prince of “International Lover” at a 1999 tribute. Like the Jim Morrison of neo-soul, Bilal began attracting fans drawn not so much by the music as by the possibility of witnessing bizarre antics at his performances. Yet downstairs in the basement of La Bellevilloise, from “For You” to his “Soul Sista” encore, Bilal was in top form.

Commanding the stage in a wifebeater, black Ray-Ban-like shades and low-slung tattered jeans, Bilal did his thing for a packed crowd without the benefit of having dropped a new album in nine years. (Interscope Records shelved 2006’s Love for Sale for leaking onto the web; Airtight’s Revenge is due in September from indie label Plug Research.) His kamikaze style and dredlocks long gone, Bilal put in a riveting set of largely unknown songs: only “Sometimes,” “For You” and “Soul Sista” were culled from 1st Born Second.

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