POP MUSIC REVIEW : Larson’s Long Layoff Shows in Brief Return

Motherhood changes everything.

Just ask Nicolette Larson, the pop and country-Western vocalist who put out half a dozen major-label albums between 1979 and 1986 (her rendition of “Lotta Love” broke into the Top 10 in 1979) and has made appearances with Neil Young and Linda Ronstadt, among others. She’s spent the last three years raising a daughter, and the responsibility has kept her from performing as much as she likes.

Larson, with daughter in tow, resurfaced Friday at Randell’s to make a brief appearance with guitarist Randell Young’s band. Though the unrehearsed set (“I just barely met these guys, “ she announced as she took the stage) was far from what is expected of someone of her reputation, Larson at least hinted at the vocal charms that gained her reputation back when.

Strumming a black acoustic guitar and tossing her long hair hither and yon, Larson performed a quartet of songs that were unremarkable in their presentation. The fact that she was suffering a cold--a common malady this time of year among mothers of preschoolers--made her task even more difficult, and her voice was often missing when she slid into the upper register, leaving nothing but breath whistling in the mike.

The only time the roughness in her throat seemed to help is when she inserted curt, Janis Joplin-like growls into her delivery.

*

She was most effective during “Pink Cadillac,” making the most of the road song imagery with a slightly titillating delivery. As she accompanied herself without the band during the tune’s introduction, her voice seemed to smooth over the bumps, and she made the most of the song’s straightforward rhythm to accelerate into the verse.

She was less successful on “Can’t Stand the Rain,” treating the lyric with a surfeit of melodrama while her enunciation muddied the delivery of each phrase.

A rendition of Lowell George’s “Heartache,” backed only by keyboardist Stuart Elster, made for some rough going, with the pianist and singer losing each other at one point in the middle of the number. Still, there were times during the tune that her voice carried a wholesome pureness marked with a slight, vulnerable vibrato.

She seemed to hit stride during “Lotta Love,” working comfortably through the lyric while showing more enthusiasm than in previous numbers. Then suddenly, she was gone, leaving Young and company to finish out the set. She’d been on the stage only 20 minutes.

Ultimately, Young’s quartet was more satisfying without the singer than with her. The group’s laid-back renditions of “After Midnight,” “Willie and the Hand Jive” and “The Thrill Is Gone” made the most of veteran session percussionist Rick Shlosser’s precise, tasteful drumming.

Keyboardist Elster was a standout, moving easily between organ and acoustic piano while bringing snap and melodic interest to each of his solos.

Young himself is an unambitious guitarist, letting a few well-placed notes do the talking while only occasionally breaking out in a fleet run or lengthy combinations of wah-wah colored chords.

His vocals are given similar play, coming in brief, to-the-point phrases with a minimum of stylistic tricks and gimmicks. He allowed himself an occasional tough pose with growls and throaty exclamations, but never strayed far from his even-keeled delivery.

Though her cold and semi-retirement may have done little to re-establish her career during this performance, motherhood may move Larson to new things.

She announced that she has completed a recording of lullabies inspired by her daughter. This could be a fine stroke. As a rule, artists of all sorts produce their best work when they follow their hearts.