POP MUSIC REVIEW : Toni Childs Delights Her Disciples

In a performance that swung wildly between the inspirational and the insufferable at the Palace, Toni Childs came off as something of a Carly Simon figure for the ‘80s: a soulful-sounding, striking-looking thoroughbred with a major mouth, an aristocratic air and a dose of smugness.

The Palace show Thursday night marked a slight step up in status from her last local date at the Roxy, but Childs is the kind of artist whose progress is measured in intensity of response, not in number of bodies. Like Simon, Joni Mitchell and a few others, she’s more a guru than a plain performer, and her audience seems more like disciples than just fans.

The downside of that loyalty on Thursday was the gush-fests between songs. The needle went clear off the indulgence meter when Childs, having proclaimed herself proud to be a “hippie,” led the crowd in a game of Simon Says. Maybe she wants to be a Grace Slick figure for the ‘80s.

Some of the music that was so rudely interrupted helped explain the strong bond. Though she took time to demonstrate that she is neither a rock ‘n’ roller nor a torchy blues singer, her powerful voice trumpeted with authority on the progressive-flavored pop of the best songs from her album “Union.”

The minimally accompanied version of “Where’s the Ocean” and the fervent rendition of “Stop Your Fussin” represented her range, from intimate expressions of yearning to big statements about life. In both performances she connected directly with an emotional core, and the show hit a crescendo on “Fussin” when she issued a call to social action before taking the song into a charged call-and-response finale.