Womack’s in Heartbreak Country

There were times during Lee Ann Womack’s concert on Monday at the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana that this promising country newcomer was so short on performance artifice that she seemed one step away from twiddling her thumbs when she wasn’t actively singing.

But the absence of showy stage moves wasn’t a problem when measured against this Texan’s skilled vocals, sharp ear for real-world lyrics and a crackerjack band that helped her serve up her 16-song set so tastily.

Her closest vocal counterpart is Dolly Parton in her pre-pop prime, a model Womack, 31, brought front and center with a version of “Jolene,” Parton’s portrait of a woman terrified of losing her man to a skilled seductress, which was maybe even more hauntingly desperate than the original.

Equally significant, Womack’s 1997 debut album demonstrates her knack for latching onto songs with depth of feeling as well as catchy lyrics and inventive melodies. As contemporary country--radio especially--has embraced an idealized version of life and love better left to romance novels, Womack heralds a welcome swing of the pendulum back toward life as real people live it.

She’ll be back in April on George Strait’s stadium tour--if she doesn’t jump to headlining status on her own first.