There is no doubt that before John Sinclair took the stage at Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St. in Lansing, many audience members were expecting the spoken word performer to launch into political rants calling for social change.

And who could blame them?

Sinclair's most infamous claim to fame occurred more than three decades ago, when he was arrested for possession of two joints and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Long story short, John Lennon wrote a song demanding his release and held the "Free John Now" concert in Ann Arbor - thousands attended and it led to his freedom.

An author and poet, co-founder of the White Panther radical group, political abolitionist and figurehead of '60s and '70s counterculture- the man has a lot to say about the state of things.

Backed by the Motor City Blues Scholars, Sinclair's performance Friday was a unique hybrid of artistic expression that comes along so seldomly - a musical tribute to his blues idols.

Sinclair's work was a crash course in the history of blues, from its roots in slavery, the evolution of the Mississippi Delta sounds, the boom in Chicago, Robert Johnson, sex, drugs and Muddy Waters. These elements were condensed into articulately worded, wholly entertaining narratives spat out by the raspy, bluesy voice of Sinclair and backed by rocking, improvisational-style blues that were keen on jamming between verses.

Sinclair seemed to glow with joy as he laid out his vision of blues to the eager, widely diverse audience.

The first performance touched upon the evolution of blues as related to today's opinion on the art and culminated into a grimy, in-your-face blues jam that had the audience applauding throughout.

Sinclair, whose rickety stage presence was well-received and carried an almost otherworldly charm, seemed very comfortable in front of the crowd. His spoken-word performance came off as that of a blues singer. His verses were structured around blues scales, which made each narrative flow lyrically as his raspy voice fit the blues theme to a T as he spun interesting, intricate yarns about jail (Sinclair's first arrest was in Lansing while on the way to a Bo Diddley concert), the poisoning of Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson's deal with the devil and more.

Not until the final song, "The Motor City Trilogy," did Sinclair's agenda drift from blues to politics. He lashed out, in a very humorous manner, at General Ashcroft, President Bush, conformity and society's imposition of its morals on others.

"We have the right to our bad habits," he said to a wild applause. "And it ain't nobody's business what we do."

When the show ended, Sinclair looked out at his audience with a smile. "Wow, a standing ovation!" he said. "You don't usually get that in poetry."

It was well-deserved.