POP MUSIC REVIEW : EMMYLOU HARRIS’ INSTINCTS AVOID CLICHES

As if being the most compelling female singer ever in country music isn’t enough guarantee of an ideal concert evening, Emmylou Harris offers her fans a bonus. She invariably is joined by artists who, like her, sidestep the cliches and fads of country in favor of the music’s rich, honest emotion.

At the Universal Amphitheatre on Tuesday night, the bill also included the Desert Rose Band and the O’Kanes, two groups with equal emphasis on good songs, smooth harmonies and country tradition. The extra treat with Harris on Friday night at the Pacific Amphitheatre will be Lyle Lovett, a Texas singer-songwriter whose best tunes have a bittersweet melancholy worthy of Hank Williams.

The O’Kanes--built around the singing and songwriting skills of leaders Jamie O’Hara and Kieran Kane--projected a laid-back, unhurried presence that was ideally suited to a musical approach that combines contemporary tunes with such traditional instruments as fiddle, mandolin and accordion.

Chris Hillman, leader of the Desert Rose Band, is one of the most reliable and rewarding figures ever to have the hybrid country-rock attached to his name--a key member of such heralded outfits as the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. His new group, which was reviewed during its recent Roxy appearance, plays in a lively and confident style, blending some of the soulful country aspects of the Burritos with the ringing, steel-guitar zest of Buck Owens.

Despite the worthy appetizers, Harris was in a class by herself when she came on stage with her Hot Band. Unlike most performers, Harris knows the value of restraint and pacing.

On numbers such as “Easy From Now On” and “Pancho and Lefty,” which have been part of her repertoire for years, she doesn’t oversell. Harris has enough confidence in the natural beauty of her voice and in the songs themselves not to reach for the illusion that she is totally absorbed by every tune.

Yet there is invariably a point in the evening where Harris--slowly, subtly and naturally--does become totally involved, making you feel that it indeed may be the definitive treatment. That number Tuesday was “Hickory Wind,” a Gram Parsons composition whose ability to express the warm sentimentality of country music without once touching on the genre’s cliches pretty much defines Harris’ own artistry.

In fact, Harris’ instincts sometimes seem almost too tasteful and pure. You almost wish that she were more selfish and commercially minded so that she would aim for a wider audience. Just as Joan Baez transcends folk and Aretha Franklin transcends soul, Harris is a singer who could touch the mass pop-rock audience. The fact that there were empty seats at the amphitheater was a reminder that everyone hasn’t yet gotten that message.