POP MUSIC REVIEW : Lively Night From the Ladies

Slimmed down and grown up a bit since their last appearance in the area about a year ago, the Toronto-based Barenaked Ladies proved at the Coach House on Monday that more mature isn’t necessarily less attractive.

The quintet’s debut album, “Gordon,” was a largely whimsical, congenial effort full of witty lyrics and hip jabs at American pop culture. The band’s new second album, “Maybe You Should Drive,” is a bit more serious, so it follows that their shows would also be less frivolous.

True. Sort of.

The nearly two-hour Coach House show steered away from the new work’s darker selections to emphasize songs with a more palatable pop beat. Still, “The Great Provider” came off as a folksy ballad with something genuine to say about father-son relationships. More characteristic of the show, though, were such numbers as “Alternative Girlfriend,” “Life, in a Nutshell” and the new single, “Jane”--all quirky, lively songs about ordinary people’s peculiarities.

The most playful side of Barenaked Ladies emerges in between-songs patter and improvisational riffs. And, even though the Ladies have grown up a bit, they haven’t abandoned forays into rap, which again provided some of the set’s most delightful moments.

* Barenaked Ladies play tonight at the House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., 7:30 p.m. $15. (213) 650-1451.