POP MUSIC REVIEW : Shenandoah Gets in Touch With Its Past : Band’s personality emerged at the Rhythm Cafe once it reached beyond its hits to its roots and influences.

In this age of country performers who smash guitars, swing from the rafters or gyrate like Chippendale dancers, is it worth going out in the rain to see an old-style country band that is as active on stage as the average stop sign?

It didn’t seem so during the first few songs of Shenandoah’s 90-minute set at the Rhythm Cafe on Wednesday night. The five-man group, augmented by guitarist/fiddle player Donnie Allen, cranked out its hits, including “Two Dozen Roses,” “The Church on Cumberland Road” and “The Moon Over Georgia,” as faithfully as a jukebox--and with about as much charisma.

At first Shenandoah seemed like any other faceless band as lead singer Marty Raybon planted himself in the center of the stage and shouted out such platitudes as “Everybody have a good time!” between songs. None of his fellow musicians moved more than a foot or two from their assigned spots, either. Lead guitarist Jim Seales stepped forward unassumingly to fire off a few tasteful guitar licks, but keyboardist Stan Thorn, bassist Ralph Ezell and drummer Mike McGuire remained almost invisible.

Somewhere about a third of the way through its 17-song set, however, Shenandoah’s personality began to emerge.

A common thread of homespun country virtues runs through the group’s best songs, such as “Sunday in the South,” “Mama Knows” and “The Church on Cumberland Road.” In concert, these themes fit in perfectly with Raybon’s unassuming Southern charm and corn-pone humor. “We’ve been off three weeks for the holidays,” he drawled, “and we’ve all been eating like a pack of logging mules.”

At about the same point in the show that Raybon was switching his patter from cliches to more personal remarks, Shenandoah began to reach beyond its hits to show its roots and influences.

The band, which started life in Muscle Shoals, Ala., as the MGM Band, paid tribute to its musical heritage with a medley of songs recorded at Muscle Shoals. What was interesting about the number was that Shenandoah included not only the soul (Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman”) and Southern rock music (Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”) most associated with Muscle Shoals, but also less-obvious selections. These included Hank Williams Jr.’s “Family Tradition” and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll,” showcasing not only the diversity of music recorded in Muscle Shoals, but also Shenandoah’s eclectic range of influences.

Just as Shenandoah’s personality, roots and philosophy unfolded as the show progressed, the group’s musical chops began to kick in. As Raybon settled into such poignant ballads as “Sunday in the South” and “Hey Mister (I Need This Job),” he seemed to reach more deeply into himself, and his vocals became increasingly impressive.

The rest of the musicians finally opened up and displayed their abilities during a lively version of Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” that revealed the group’s bluegrass influences. The number provided an opportunity for fiddler Allen and especially lead guitarist Seales to take the spotlight for restrained but dazzling solos. Seales also showed off his guitar power during “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting,” a selection from Shenandoah’s latest album, “Long Time Comin’.”

By the time Shenandoah ended the evening--with its encore selections of the title track from its 1989 breakthrough album “The Road Not Taken” and a tribute to yet another influence, the late blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan--it had shown that it could create a satisfying concert not by being flashy but simply by being itself.

If Shenandoah’s low-key approach stole up on the audience’s affections in something of a sneak attack, the Honky Tonk Hellcat’s opening 35-minute set was the charge of the Light Brigade. The six-man Orange County group came out blasting with a hard charging version of Johnny Bush’s honky-tonk classic “Whiskey River,” and it didn’t let the energy ebb. In their brief but powerful eight-song set, the Hellcats managed to work in a couple of lead singer Frank Jenkins’ original songs as well as rocked-up versions of Roger Miller’s “Dang Me” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”