Freakin' At The T-Dome -- Jodeci Headlines What Figures To Be One Steamy Concert

----------------------------------------------------------------- Concert preview

Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, the Notorious B.I.G., Naughty by Nature, Luniz, Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Adina Howard, 8 p.m. Sunday, Tacoma Dome; $29.50, 628-0888. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Romance will be in the air - and so will lust - when Jodeci's giant tour of R&B stars stops at the T-Dome Sunday. The incredible bill of new jack and new jill swingers, all of whom have chart hits at the moment, leans heavily toward bedroom balladeers, male and female, who wax explicit when it comes to detailing what kind of sex they have in mind.

It used to mainly be men who engaged in raunchy come-ons in R&B, but now the women are just as freaky. Bumping, grinding and moaning suggestively, they challenge the guys to live up to their sexy bravado, and offer suggestions of their own.

Jodeci is the flip side of Boyz II Men; they're the Stones to the Boyz' Beatles. The Boyz are hopeless romantics with love to spare, and quintessential nice guys.

Jodeci doesn't bother with the niceties. They get down to the nitty gritty, as in their hit song "Freekin' You," a '90s update of the kind of come-ons Marvin Gaye was famous for. The tune comes from the quartet's platinum "The Show, the After-Party, the Hotel," a concept album detailing a night in the life of Jodeci. The songs are joined together by dialogue and mini-dramas, complete with sound effects, leaving little to the imagination.

Mary J. Blige is the most traditional artist on the tour, as shown by her impressive cover of "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman," in which she pays homage to Aretha Franklin, and actually manages to match that classic performance.

Adina Howard is more frank. Her debut album is called "Do You Wanna Ride?" and has nothing to do with vehicles. Her first single, the aggressive "Freak Like Me," pulls no punches. Only 20, Howard has a mature, impressive voice.

The Notorious B.I.G. scored a huge hit with "One More Chance/Stay With Me," a sensuous highlight from his double-platinum "Ready to Die" album. Built like Barry White, he elicits the same kind of ecstatic female reaction in concert, but gets it with blunt, streetwise language rather than boudoir come-ons.

Naughty By Nature set the standard for sexy raps with "O.P.P.," an anthemic celebration of infidelity that became a runaway hit single. The group also created the delightfully infectious tribute to contemporary R&B, "Hip-Hop Hooray."

The newest stars in the lineup are Luniz (pronounced "loonies"), an Oakland rap duo with the smooth hit, "I Got 5 On It," and Junior M.A.F.I.A. (which, no kidding, stands for "Junior Masters at Finding Intelligent Attitudes"), Notorious B.I.G. proteges who scored a hit with their first single, "Player's Anthem."