Pop Music Review : Melissa Ferrick Gifted but Unfocused

“Should we try it again? It’s a cool groove.” Melissa Ferrick and her admittedly under-rehearsed three-piece band had just derailed during an extended instrumental break on Tuesday at the Troubadour, but at her impromptu suggestion, they picked it up and rolled through it again.

Endearingly loose or sloppy to a fault? It depends on your expectations, but the Boston singer-songwriter’s music would probably be better served by a more focused approach. This would have been a diverting warm-up show for an established figure, but as an introduction to a new artist it was a little hazy.

Ferrick throws herself into her turbulent confessionals with an unvarying intensity. Amid choppy arrangements, she alternates powerful, long-held notes with an odd, agile chattering, and she can adjust timbre at whim, from clear, pure tones to a rough snarl.

The sheer technical bravado gets your attention, but Ferrick’s music registers emotionally only now and then. In her early 20s, she’s searching for a musical identity that takes advantage of her gifts, and she also might want to find a collaborator who can bring some depth and maturity to her lyrics. At this point the title of her debut album--”Massive Blur”--says it all.