Pop Music : Connells Offer a Mix of Mirth and Melody

During the past decade and a half, North Carolina has spawned dozens of distinctively Southern pop bands that possess a flair for airy melodies. Despite the high quality of the groups, only the dB’s have left any lasing imprint--and that more in the minds of admiring critics than on the sales charts.

The Connells have stuck out their obscurity longer than most, six years and counting. After seeing the band’s set at Bogart’s on Saturday, it’s easy to understand why: Talent this big simply can’t be ignored for too much longer.

From the shimmering “One Simple Word� to the undulating “Too Gone,� featuring snippets of disco diva Shannon’s “Let the Music Play,� the Connells delivered 90 minutes of consistently captivating sounds. Frontman Doug MacMillan’s amiable silly streak helped to break up the slight sameness of the material, as he bombastically sang bits of Burt Bacharach compositions during breaks or broke into Barry Manilow’s “Mandy� during one particularly subdued acoustic number.

The mix of mirth and melody reached its apex with the last of several encores, a cover of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.� The Connells played that song’s music faithfully, but MacMillan deftly skewered the lyrics’ pretensions with histrionics worthy of the worst rock star wanna-be.