POP MUSIC REVIEW : STANTON’S NEW ROLE AS COUNTRY SINGER

Surprise, surprise. Judging strictly on the basis of his famous, lived-in face, you might expect actor/cult hero Harry Dean Stanton’s singing voice to be one of those cigarettes-and-coffee, barroom rasps, instead of a clean, pure, country-tinged tenor that suggests he’s never drunk anything stronger than spring water.

Making a rare live appearance at McCabe’s on Friday night, Stanton not only spotlighted his singing talents but also showcased his good taste in songs. The material ranged from country standards (Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down”) to more modern, folk-country numbers (Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”) to a pair of songs sung in perfect Spanish (including “Cancion Mextaca,” Stanton’s contribution to the “Paris, Texas” sound track), all sung with genteel charm and grace.

Aided by longtime songwriter-sessionaire Steven Soles on second acoustic guitar and harmony vocals, Stanton (appearing as part of Peter Case’s Friday night residency at the club) fought off what was apparently a bona fide case of nerves and an attack of cramps in his picking hand with an ingratiating, self-effacing sense of humor.

Face it. The man has tremendous presence. The old cliche of seeming to have lived the songs one sings has rarely been more appropriate. If he hadn’t already made a lucrative career out of acting, you could probably find this Kentucky native singing the good ol’ good ones in a low-rent Southwestern truckstop/cantina and doing quite well at it, thank you. Most likely, he wouldn’t have been handed a tune as tailor-made for his grizzled persona as Steven Soles’ “The Drifter,” though.