POP MUSIC REVIEW : Bonoff, Souther Unleash River of Emotions at the Coach House

J.D. Souther, Karla Bonoff and a good, efficient desalination process probably could alter the ecological future of Southern California. Harness the tear-jerking potential of these two quintessential exponents of mellow, ‘70s-vintage L.A. songwriting, and the region would be drought-proof.

Playing separate, hourlong solo sets Wednesday at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, then harmonizing together in a three-song encore, Souther and Bonoff gave saturation treatment to the theme of how woeful it is to be acutely sensitive and in love with the wrong person.

There is nothing wrong with evoking a sniffle and a tear from time to time, and between them, Souther and Bonoff are responsible for writing or co-authoring some of the classier songs in the genre: among them Souther’s “Faithless Love,” “Best of My Love” and “Prisoner in Disguise,” and Bonoff’s “Lose Again” and “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me.” Those songs and others like them were presented lovingly to a capacity house that received them like jewels.

To both singers’ credit, their fervent heartbreak never came off sounding smarmy or phony. Also in their favor, Souther and Bonoff both displayed engaging, wry, and sometimes self-deprecating senses of humor between songs--which helped offset the music’s lack of same.

Souther was onto something early in his set when he told the crowd that, instead of singing “another weeper” about a lover done wrong, he would take “a somewhat more aggressive tack.” The song that followed, “The Moon Just Turned Blue,” was a welcome change of pace--humorous, yodeling country music accompanying the monologue of a cheated lover who gets mad instead of getting all choked up.

It was one of the few high spots of dry wit in an evening flooded with “weepers.” Souther’s other welcome departure from mellowness was “Keep Away My Love,” a promising, forthright new folk-rocker that began ironically but ended in hopeful earnest as it detailed a teetering-but-salvageable relationship.

Bonoff showed a bit of spunk with sharp-edged singing during “Baby, Don’t Go” and “Personally,” but for the most part, she stuck to the fervent stuff, delivered in a pure, striking voice that was consistently impressive. One of her better ballads was a new song, “How Long,” which she said will be released in July as part of her first album in six years.

Just once, it would have been nice to hear Bonoff quit pleading and pining and deliver a song that, in no uncertain terms, told some undeserving lover to kiss off. But Bonnie Raitt she ain’t--and that went for her guitar playing as well as her lyrical content. Bonoff stuck to basic strumming on an electric-acoustic guitar bolstered by large doses of reverb.

Her version of “When You Walk in the Room” was doubly disappointing--first because it emphasized the anguish of the Jackie De Shannon lyric while ignoring its giddy excitement and second because Bonoff’s fingers weren’t up to even attempting one of the bounciest, most vibrant guitar riffs in ‘60s pop. She should have saved the song for the encore with Souther, who could have lent his serviceable finger-picking style. On piano, Bonoff backed her excellent rendition of “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me” with a nice, chilly shimmer.

Souther’s voice was gravelly and thin, but that didn’t stop him from gamely attempting to fill out his songs with all manner of grace notes, quavers and falsettos. It sounded pretty creaky at times, but usually it felt right. Harmonizing with Bonoff on the traditional folk ballad “The Water Is Wide,” and on the Everlys’ “Let It Be Me,” Souther upheld his reputation as an in-demand studio backup singer.