POP MUSIC REVIEW : Three Women, One Fine Show

On the surface, the three women who played two sold-out, weekend shows at McCabe’s have little in common.

Johnette Napolitano, the bassist-vocalist-writer for tuff ‘n’ tender rock outfit Concrete Blonde, is single, from the Valley, and--in performing sans band--was making the biggest artistic stretch.

Exene Cervenka has been the vocalist-songwriter for seminal L.A. punk-rockers X as well as folk-country revisionists the Knitters, while maintaining a second career as a poet. She’s married (a recent mother), comes from Florida, and was doing her first formal poetry reading in almost two years.

Victoria Williams is a new breed folk singer whose debut LP hit the stores last year. Williams is married, originally from Louisiana and performs solo as a matter of course.

This was no benefit. This was no theme show. There was no “everybody on stage for the obligatory encore sing-along.” (Napolitano split early Saturday and Cervenka had to make a Knitters gig crosstown.)

This was simply three voices of the current L.A. scene--all of whom happen to be women--putting on a sinfully rich, hydra-headed, generally unconventional, evening’s worth of entertainment.

Decked out in yards of black lace, cowboy boots, beret, too-much-junk jewelry and a pair of wrist tattoos, Napolitano was the biggest surprise, proving to be a much more talented performer than heard on record.

Opening with an impassioned, bluesy version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made Of Sand”, Napolitano--accompanied by Concrete Blonde guitarist Jim Mankey--encored with a fiery rendition of a smoldering Dream Syndicate song, done in duet with Syndicate guitarist Steve Wynn. In between, she sang her own tunes from records past, present and future, highlighted by a soaring, bittersweet new number titled “Happy Birthday.”

For her part, Cervenka essayed subjects ranging from her 3-month-old son to Top-40 radio inventor Gordon McLendon--who accidentally shot himself in the head and lived , only to die of natural causes a year later.

Her once-wild multihued ‘do forsaken for a straight, natural look, Cervenka matter of factly fired salvo after salvo of guided missals at the Pentagon, bad boyfriends, husbands old and new, Elvis Presley and the banality of evil.

Starting slowly, but warming to the occasion, guitarist-pianist Williams ran though her usual repertoire of Down South story-songs and quirky lil’ novelties, all sung in her distinctive, elastic quaver. Eventually husband and solo folk singer Peter Case was called up to blend his talents on long-time fan favorites, Marvin Etzioni’s “Balancing Act” and T-Bone Burnett’s “Power of Love.”

Three women. Three distinct voices. Only two shows. Too bad.