Low-Voltage Persona, High-Voltage Gig : Jann Browne Is Plaintive and Fiery, Sassy and Hurt; She’s Best at Mixing Emotional Shades

SANTA ANA —  Jann Browne’s road to country stardom is looking a bit more bumpy right now than she might have liked.

Last year, after more than a decade of kicking around the local honky-tonks, the Orange County-based singer got off to a solid start on the national scene when her first single, “You Ain’t Down Home,” made the Billboard’s Top 20 country chart. The follow-up, “Tell Me Why,” did just as well, and Browne got a lot of video play for a third song, “Mexican Wind.” The “Tell Me Why” album had a six-month stay on the country charts, establishing Browne firmly as a newcomer to watch.

Browne’s next mission was to make a strong second album. With the release of “It Only Hurts When I Laugh” a few weeks ago, it was obvious that she had done her job. The album confirmed that its predecessor’s impeccable performances and wide-ranging mastery of country tradition were no fluke, and its greater emotional depth and stronger material marked an improvement over the first go-round.

But “Better Love Next Time,” the solid country-rock tune that Curb Records put out as the new album’s first single, failed to make the charts. Introducing the song Tuesday night at the Crazy Horse Steak House, Browne acknowledged with a trace of disappointment that its commercial run had been fleeting.

For Browne, who is in her mid-30s, progressing up country’s commercial slope apparently will involve some slips and detours that she’d rather not have had to negotiate. But her early show Tuesday at the Crazy Horse made it obvious that she has a talent that can hold up around the bends and over the bumpy patches. It was, simply put, a splendid 65 minutes of country music in the company of a singer whose persona is low-keyed but whose voice and emotional investment in her music are highly charged.

By turns, Browne’s performance was plaintive and fiery, sassy and hurt. Best of all were the many moments in which she mixed emotional shades, singing about the strength to get through heartaches without minimizing the hurt involved.

Helping her negotiate the 16-song set was a backing band able to match Browne’s versatility. She had a couple of all-star ringers in the lineup for the occasion--pedal steel player Jay Dee Maness, recently departed from the Desert Rose Band, and drummer Steve Duncan, moonlighting from his ongoing job with Desert Rose.

Browne’s regulars were not overshadowed by the classy outside help. Maness was deft as always, but Dennis Caplinger provided the primary instrumental colors with expert turns on fiddle, mandolin and Dobro, plus a bit of banjo. Reserved Rick MacDonald wasn’t exactly a vivid stage performer, but his terse guitar leads testified to the advantages of playing the fitting notes rather than all the notes that fit. At mid-set MacDonald switched to mandolin, helping Caplinger carry a strong pair of acoustic songs.

One was the hopping, bluegrass-style tune, “Who’s Gonna Be Your Next Love,” which found Browne simultaneously expressing her hurt over a lover’s betrayals, skewering him for it, and keeping a sense of humor about the whole thing in twangy, half-spoken asides.

The show encompassed a wide range of traditional country modes or moods, and Browne was thoroughly assured at each turn. She pulled off sprightly honky-tonk, chunky rocking numbers and blazing train rhythms (“Ain’t No Train” and “Blue Heart in Memphis” both kicked with authority), with a touch of huskiness in her voice lending them muscle and personality. Browne said that she and her band were feeling jet-lagged, having just gotten back from playing dates in Switzerland. If those were the effects of jet lag, we can only hope that all bands playing Orange County will make Geneva their last stop before the West Coast.

In addition to a dozen songs from her two albums, Browne included promising new material. “Somewhere Down the Line,” written by Browne and her band’s new rhythm guitarist, Matt Barnes, played to that prime strength of hers--the ability to hurt without giving away her strength of character. “We may be over, but I’m not empty-handed / I may be stuck, but, baby, I’m not stranded,” went one refrain. A new ballad, “There Were No Angels,” allowed Browne’s sweeter, fervent side to come out, the side that most recalls her key influence, Emmylou Harris.

If Browne lacks anything, it’s an easily salable persona. She isn’t a sultry type like Tanya Tucker or a glamour queen like Reba McEntire or Dolly Parton. Dressed in a black biker jacket, tight jeans and cowboy boots, she didn’t flee from making a sexy impression, but neither did she make a blatant show of it. Mainly, Browne came off as a singer caught up in her music--letting the band move her, allowing the lyrical moment to dictate her body English rather than relying on contrivances.

Country audiences want personal contact, and Browne could profit by taking more time to talk about her songs or herself. Since this was a home-county show, she may have figured she was playing to old friends and fans who knew her well enough without needing a lot of chat.

Still, when she mentioned her bluegrass-loving grandparents, or her youthful ambition to be like “all the hoods” hanging out at the grocery store back in her hometown in Indiana, it would have been fun to hear a full-blown story, rather than just an aside. That extra personal touch might give Browne an edge in negotiating the upward climb that she is eminently qualified to make.

TALENT SHOWCASE: Some Orange County country musicians who may harbor dreams of following Browne on her climb will get a chance at greater exposure in the upcoming Marlboro Music Talent Roundup.

Christine Pagano and Katee Gadette of San Juan Capistrano, Nancy Shaw of Costa Mesa, Tim Parker of Brea, and the Dana Point-based bluegrass band, Pickit Line, all have qualified for semifinal rounds next month. They are among 24 Los Angeles-area semifinalists chosen on the basis of taped submissions.

Semifinal rounds will be played live on June 10 at the Palomino in North Hollywood and June 11-12 at the Rusty Horn Saloon in Ontario. The nine survivors will go on to the regional finals June 19 at the Bandstand in Anaheim. The winner gets $7,500 and the right to compete in Nashville this fall for a national grand prize of $30,000 and a 40-hour recording session with Grammy-winning producer Barry Beckett.