POP MUSIC REVIEW : Notes From the Underground: Hole Shows Surprising Depth

She’s b-a-c-k.

“You can call me ‘Your Highness,’ ” a radiant Courtney Love told the audience at the Palace Sunday as the most volatile woman in American rock resumed her career after almost two years off for marriage and motherhood.

It was a teasing reference to the way the rock press treats Love and her husband, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, as its ‘90s royal couple--and the remark was typical of Love’s freewheeling manner between songs.

As her band Hole, opening for the Lemonheads, got ready for its first number, she jabbed at the rock press: “How many rock journalists does it take to screw in a light bulb? Twelve . . . one to screw it in and 11 for the guest list.”

Later, she chided a friend she spotted in the audience and claimed wasn’t paying attention to the music, and she described the punk-spawned band’s new, more accessible music as its “sell-out sound.”

While this playfulness makes her an engaging and unpredictable performer, it’s the music itself that makes Love worth attention: The songs she previewed from Hole’s upcoming album offered a vitality and depth that could move the band from underground contenders to a place on the national pop charts alongside Cobain’s Nirvana.

Rather than simply scripted patter, Love’s comments between songs had the natural feel of someone who is sharing her immediate feelings.

While the attitude was light Sunday, you can imagine it some nights turning as dark and wounded as her lyrics, which express insecurities and doubts with a captivating, diary-like intimacy.

Given the intensity of her songs, there’s an almost frightening sense of vulnerability behind Love’s brash, commanding posture.

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Wearing a sheer, off-white dress and bright red lipstick as she puffed on a cigarette, she came across as a pop version of a ‘40s starlet whose life was a tantalizing blend of glamour and tragedy.

Her own life with Cobain has been touched by scandal, including their acknowledgment of drug use. But both songwriters say they have sworn off drugs and are dedicated now to their music and their baby.

Sunday’s stirring performance with the revamped Hole--holdover Eric Erlandson on guitar plus newcomers Patty Schemel on drums and Kristen Pfaff on bass--suggested that Love is indeed poised to take her place among rock’s creative royalty.

Given Love’s intensity and charisma, it would have been hard for most bands to follow her Sunday, and it was especially hard for the Lemonheads, the headlining trio whose music is pleasant, but far less liberating and revealing.

Blessed with soulful eyes and seductive cheekbones, the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando may be rock’s hottest pin-up since Simon Le Bon.

To his credit, Dando doesn’t assume a pretty-boy stance on stage. His richly melodic music has a tougher edge than on record, and he plays the songs in a businesslike fashion.

Unfortunately, he projects almost no personality. Either he is afraid that any sign of life on stage will be seen as an attempt to take advantage of his good looks, or he simply has no instincts for performing.

The music, too, suffers from a lack of personality and depth. The themes cover a wide territory--from daydreams of comfort to moments of regret, from absurdity to social commentary. But Dando doesn’t make the distinctions vivid enough in his songs to touch us in a lasting way.