POP MUSIC REVIEW : Pat Donohue Proves Himself a Master at Play

In an interview published in The Times last year, singer-songwriter Pat Donohue said the following about his standard song list for concerts: “I have one rule on stage these days: Play whatever song I most feel like playing at that moment.”

The guitarist was true to his word during a generous and loose performance Friday night at Shade Tree Stringed Instruments. Lasting more than two hours, the richly diverse concert by the St. Paul, Minn., resident was a model for combining playfulness with pure craftsmanship.

The 41-year-old Donohue is a natural entertainer who possesses bundles of charm and wit.

He unveiled his winning sense of humor from the outset when he looked into the audience after his opening song (appropriately enough, “This Is the Beginning”) and declared: “I can see you’re all nervous and wondering how I’m going to like you.”

Similar to like-minded songwriters John Prine and Jonathan Richman, Donohue has written a variety of whimsical songs, ranging in topic from karaoke and moving to bayous and Nashville cats.

He even looks fondly at a long-lasting marriage with these lyrics from “Old Lady”: “When I’m camping with the guys, / I can chew and cuss and spit and smoke cigars . . . / but I’m going home, ‘cause I miss the old lady.”

And Donohue enjoys reeling off little snippets of songs, like during a Chet Atkins-Jimi Hendrix-Leo Kotke-Tiny Tim riff-o-rama early in the first of his two sets. His preference for spur-of-the-moment departures surfaced again when he later launched into a long medley of Beatles songs.

But don’t let his propensity for fun fool you.

A masterful guitarist and talented singer-songwriter of blues, folk and jazz, Donohue inhabits his songs, informing them with equal parts skilled technique and raw emotion.

His excellent guitar chops offer a balance of gentle, sensuous strumming and a deeper, bluesier touch.

Revolving around selections from his latest release, “Big Blind Bluesy,” Donohue’s live arrangements did justice to original compositions by several of his major influences, including Blind Willie McTell (“Statesboro Blues”) Blind Blake (“Too Tight Rag”) and Ted Darby (“I Never Cried”), which found Donohue using a slide for swampy effects.

Highlights of his original material ranged from the uplifting jangly “This Is the Beginning” to the deep, richly textured bass lines reverberating throughout “Big Blind Bluesy.”

Perhaps the evening’s most memorable moment, though, was his interpretation of Duke Ellington’s “The Mooche.”

Sitting on a stool with his head tilted back and eyes closed, Donohue vigorously picked and plucked in creating an amazing array of sounds that somehow echoed the banjo, mandolin and Spanish guitar.

It was fitting that Donohue ended this eclectic concert on another unexpected note--playing a slow, sweet instrumental version of the “Star Spangled Banner.” A hushed crowd listened attentively as the evening star sent his final notes soaring dutifully into the night.