Photos by Alex Kluft, taken on December 16.

For quite a few years, Linda Perry was quick to reply "Hell no" to any request from fans or interviewers for a 4 Non Blondes reunion. She admitted as much from the stage at the Roxy on a Monday night in December, the first of two gigs at this venue before moving on to a couple in their San Francisco hometown.

Perry said that she was simply done with that chapter of her life. A super-successful songwriter and producer, why in the world would she put herself back into that particular machine again? Well, she found a reason.

It's worth remembering that 4 Non Blondes only released the one studio album--1992's Bigger, Better, Faster, More! They were around from 1989-'94, briefly in 2014, and now this. They are, of course, best known for monster hit "What's Up?" but the album had a lot more to offer, and it feels unjust to think of them as a one hit wonder.

Incidentally, "one hit wonder" is one of the most ridiculous turns of phrase in the modern English language. The idea that musicians have achieved a level of success, and the response from many is to say, "yeah, well, do it again or be subjected to mockery" is frankly insane. The vast majority of working musicians would love to have one hit.

So anyway, back to the Roxy. It was wonderful to see Perry back in stage with bassist Christa Hillhouse and drummer Dawn Richardson. The biggest surprise was that there were only two songs from their one album--"Train" and, naturally, "What's Up?" There was also a gorgeous rendition of the Perry-penned "Beautiful," a hit for Christina Aguilera, with the set filled out with new songs.

That's a bold move, but it proved to be an astute one. The band clearly believes in the new material, as they should. Highlights from those new tracks included "Drama Queen," "What They Want" and "Monomorphic." Hopefully a new release will be available soon.

The post 4 Non Blondes Reenergized at the Roxy first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.