POP MUSIC REVIEW : Mavericks Mix Up the Bill

You don’t often see a country nightclub filled with dancers two-stepping their way across the floor while the band plays an ode to a generation of Cuban refugees.

But the Mavericks, who did just that Tuesday at In Cahoots in Fullerton, aren’t your standard-issue country band.

In fact, the Florida-based quintet is one of the brightest additions to the country scene of the ‘90s. While it knows classic country and honky-tonk inside out (several songs on the new “What a Crying Shame” album would be perfect for Buck Owens), the Mavericks can deliver stinging social commentary when the mood strikes.

Such material was more prevalent on its 1992 major-label debut, notably the title song, “From Hell to Paradise.” Lead singer-songwriter Raul Malo’s ode to those who escaped the Castro regime (including his own parents) was transformed Tuesday from the country-rock anthem treatment on the album to a more apt Latin arrangement. Malo strummed a Spanish guitar, the rhythm section emphasized a loping calypso beat and keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden supplied accordion fills.

The new album focuses on matters of the heart, with several numbers that ring like future classics. The musicians brought a Blasters-Los Lobos-style roots-rock ethic to their playing, shifting deftly from country and Western swing to Tex-Mex, rockabilly and Latin pop to keep the textures varied. And the dancers moving.

The Mavericks also play on Monday at Country Rock Cafe in Lake Forest.