POP MUSIC REVIEW : Now 44, Harry Still Exudes the Heat of a Punkette

A rose is a rose is a rose, but it’s even more so when a leading lady like Deborah Harry bites it off its stem and blows petals on her fans.

Harry’s floral rearranging was just one of many charming maneuvers in her fun, sexy show Thursday at the Coach House, where the former Blondie singer ends a sold-out stand tonight.

Harry’s approach to pop sexuality was commendably devoid of pandering and long on humor, energy and whimsy. Instead of posturing and posing, this part-time film and TV actress reflected the heat and romance in a catchy and varied array of songs from her Blondie days and from her enjoyable current album, “Def, Dumb & Blonde.”

Harry, who returned to touring last fall after a seven-year, post-Blondie layoff, is a canny, cagey performer who toyed playfully with various faces of the traditional pop-Hollywood feminine mystique. There was a streak of camp and irony in her approach, but no condescension. Harry made it clear that she is aware that the notions of stardom and stage sexiness that she enacts are built on contrivance and convention. But instead of broadly spoofing those conventions, she played them for their intrinsic fun.

Harry’s file on pop sexuality was right up to date. Michelle Pfeiffer’s lounge singer characterization in “The Fabulous Baker Boys” represents the current state of the art of mass seduction. Harry, who has always taken cues from Hollywood, started her show with a cool, sultry, lounge-style rendition of a Motown oldie, “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game.”

From there, the musical moods and Harry’s persona shifted gradually through her 80-minute performance. Early on, the emphasis was on such Blondie hits as “Dreaming,” “Rapture” and “Heart of Glass,” many of them with a disco inflection that fit seamlessly with the dance-pop groove that marks most of Harry’s new material (attempts at rapping during “Rapture” and a newer song proved that one role Harry is not suited for is that of a rap singer--her delivery lacked a real rapper’s edge).

Some of the Blondie oldies were slight confections that haven’t worn very well with time (surprisingly, Harry was able to use tart irony to bring a little life to “Heart of Glass,” a song that wore out its welcome within milliseconds of its original release). Somewhat disappointingly, Harry and her five-member band played the Blondie hits by the book instead of recasting them in ways that might have transformed the familiar into something fresh.

But at least the re-creations were sharp. After a shaky warm-up on the first two songs the band--which included Harry’s longtime partner, lead guitarist Chris Stein--proved itself to be supple and versatile. Drummer Jimmy Clarke’s active style recalled the playing of Blondie’s old drummer, Clem Burke, and the two women in the band, guitarist Carla Olla and keyboards player Valerie Ghent, provided harmony support for Harry’s pleasant but not commanding voice, which was well served by the backup.

The 19-song set included eight tunes from “Def, Dumb & Blonde,” all of them nicely rendered and, in many cases, appealing enough to win a warmer crowd response than some of the Blondie oldies.

Built on surface pop appeal, Harry’s music is not designed to be probed for emotional depths. One exception was “Brite Side,” a winsome ballad that conveys optimism growing out of vulnerability and pain. Other highlights were the brassily affirmative “I Want That Man” and “Calmarie,” a dreamy, light-as-a-zephyr Brazilian song.

Harry shifted from sweetly caressing femininity to an assertive, even imperious persona on funky dance numbers such as “Kiss It Better” and “Get Your Way.” Then, toward the end, she and her band exploded into the raw, driving New Wave style of Blondie’s earliest albums. At 44, Harry was still convincing as a screaming, head-tossing, body-shaking punkette raver.

If she can keep going and score a new hit or two, Harry could join Jane Fonda in the mass media’s eye as the model of the Baby Boom sex symbol, moving through her middle age with looks, moves and vitality intact.