Earl Turner says he's older but he's sure no slower after four years away from Las Vegas. He's now cooking up old-school R&B at Palace Station. Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.

Make room, folks. Las Vegas has even more ticketed shows than it did when Earl Turner left town four years ago, but he's elbowed his way back in at the point where he left off.

An open-lounge favorite throughout the '90s, Turner finally made the transition into a ticketed act at the Rio in 2001. Harrah's Entertainment then transferred him to Laughlin and New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina ended his gig in a showroom bearing his name at Harrah's New Orleans -- which reopened last month, but isn't ready for a tourist-oriented show -- and Turner moved his family back to Las Vegas. Early this month, he launched a new residency at Palace Station's cozy SoundTrax.

The amazing thing is that as much as Vegas changes, Turner still offers two things in short supply on the Strip. He's the only resident act to mine the '70s school of soul and rhythm & blues (some of the actual groups he covers, such as the O'Jays and Temptations, do show up as headliners).

And there are still only a handful of personality-based entertainers.

"You can't go to those doggone ultra-lounges. You gotta come see Earl!" he declares at one point, launching into the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There."

Turner also welcomed back local fans who supported him over the years and packed into rows of folding chairs for his second weekend. "Some of you haven't moved your head (to the beat) since I left town," he joked.

He's still a mile a minute, covering what little ground his seven-piece band leaves on the stage, and frequently jumping down to share high-fives and hugs in the crowd. When he ends up on his knees at the end of one song -- and stays there -- he notes, "Those of you who know me from years ago knew that I used to get up faster."

Much of the material also is familiar, from a comic bit where Turner briefly dresses up like a hip-hop star, to a stretch where he talks about his father's love of country music, setting up the country standard "For the Good Times" and Garth Brooks' "The Dance."

The new touches include a guest appearance by Turner's 17-year-old son Aaron, who tap dances during an acoustic breakdown of Paul Simon's "Loves Me Like a Rock."

The move back into a cabaret-sized venue has, in the early going, caused Turner to pull back from showier Broadway fare he sang in the showrooms. Pop standards such as "Unchained Melody" become his chance to show off Johnny Mathis-style high tones.

Some of the song list is a little too obvious; so cheap and easy is the inclusion of "My Girl" that Turner pushes it to extremes and lets the audience sing it. But other songs remind us that those ultra-lounges have made us forget the undervalued skills of an interpreter.

Two of the tunes I would consider for my own list of the worst songs ever recorded: Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" and DeBarge's "Rhythm of the Night." Yet in Turner's hands they weren't half bad; certainly carrying more emotional heft than Sayer and a punchier arrangement than DeBarge.

The band, helmed by 19-year musical director Chris Coleman, is smaller than the showroom setup but packs a lot of punch with a three-piece horn section, topped by saxophonist Al Robinson. Chances are, you won't hear the Ohio Players' "Fire" covered anywhere else on the Strip.

"Look what Katrina blew in," Turner jokes, putting a happy face on the circumstances surrounding his return. It wouldn't have been his choice, but he landed on his feet and at gale force.