Dido adds heat but still icy

There is reason to celebrate when a mainstream pop album shows stylistic restraint. “Life for Rent,” Dido’s current collection of laid-back, electronica-informed pop, does that, evoking the charming roughness of a barely finished demo.

It’s also a bit bland, so it was a promising sign that the English singer was surrounded by a five-piece band at the Wiltern LG on Tuesday, ready to add some spice to the proceedings.

The first jolt of the night came during the climax of “See You When You’re 40,” which Dido introduced as “one of the nastiest songs I’ve ever written.” The guitar riffs roared while the combination of crackling trap drums and Latin percussion added an ominous, tribal feel to the delicate melody.

“Thank You,” the song that escalated Dido’s popularity when Eminem sampled it for his “Stan,” and “White Flag,” a creepy anthem of romantic obsession, got the loudest response from the capacity audience Tuesday (the first of Dido’s two nights at the theater), but the most arresting moments of the evening belonged to lesser-known tracks from the new album.

The breezy “Sand in Your Shoes” was pure Euro-pop perfection. The combination of a syrupy hook with gentle lyrics comparing sticky grains of sand to a memory that refuses to go away showcased Dido at her most beguiling.

Still, there’s only so much you can do with a bunch of hummable choruses, no matter how pretty they are. Ultimately, Dido’s performance was marred by a sameness in the music, and by the singer’s aloof, icy demeanor.

It would be nice if she could share with her audience the same feelings of compassion and sensitivity that she so generously applies to her songwriting.