Pop Music : Artistic Maturity Marks Cervenka Set

The reactivation of X is apparently a go, but not because leaders John Doe and Exene Cervenka are returning to the fold with their tails between their legs, dragging the remnants of tattered solo career attempts behind them.

Cervenka--whose two solo albums have not exactly been roaring commercial successes--fronted her own band on Saturday at Club Lingerie with her head held high, showing strong signs of artistic and personal maturity gained during X’s two-year hiatus.

And that’s the best news X fans could hope for. Charming, frisky and confident where she was once angry, aggressive and confused, Cervenka brought to the show a clarity that had sometimes been lacking from her first steps away from X.

Sure, anger, aggression and confusion were trademarks of X, but Cervenka paints on a larger canvas now--and those elements weren’t entirely lacking from this show, which drew largely on the folk-roots-rock material from her latest album, “Running Sacred.” Cervenka has become quite a good singer, and her (and X’s) guitarist Tony Gilkyson also seemed to explore wider reaches than he had in the last incarnation of X--another good sign for the group’s future efforts.

Still, it surprised no one that the best moments Saturday were the most X-like, and that the greatest magic came when Doe joined in for their collaboration “Just Another Perfect Day.” Both have shown that they can pursue artistically rewarding paths separately. But there’s nothing that can replace the chemistry that made X the once (and future?) ruler of L.A. rock.