Pop Music Review : Chesnutt’s Contrived Stage Show Masks His Strengths

Mark Chesnutt is one of country music’s more appealing young singers, with a rich, loamy voice and an ear for solid songs that reflect the east Texas honky-tonk tradition.

He’s not George M. Cohan, Tom Jones or Garth Brooks, who seemed to be some of his ill-advised role models in his concert at the Universal Amphitheatre on Tuesday. The nature of the show seemed determined less by musical vision than by a fear of getting left behind by the competition as country concerts increasingly adopt slick, rock-style trappings.

If you’re going to hop down a ramp from the drum riser or spread your legs and thrust your hips, you’d better appear to be enjoying it. Chesnutt looked dutiful when not downright uncomfortable in this eager-to-please mode, and his band’s incessant scampering was forced and distracting.

Musically, Chesnutt and his musicians pushed the sound to the limit, leaving no room to breathe and eliminating all dynamics. Chesnutt’s voice sounded harsh and electronic, with none of its natural grain.

The net result was a thorough masking of the intimacy and directness that are his chief strengths.

The bill also featured Doug Supernaw, who specializes in melodramatic, slice-of-life songs. His show was unruly and all over the place, but at least it was alive and kicking. The Mavericks, who blend Roy Orbison grandeur, pop savvy and roots-rock force, served notice in their brief opening set that they’re a coming force to be reckoned with.