POP MUSIC REVIEW : ‘Unwrapped’ Benefit Has Its Ups, Downs

Tears for Fears, Suzanne Vega and Sophie B. Hawkins arrived at the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday to lead “Unwrapped”--KSCA-FM’s benefit concert for Toys for Tots--and demonstrated both the strengths and weaknesses within the station’s so-called “adult alternative” playlist.

Among the surprises was a dynamic showing from Tears for Fears, whose layers of jangly pop and funk put its ‘80s rep as makers of boring, anthem-prone synth-pop farther into the past. That was clear early in the forceful rock of “Raoul and the Kings of Spain,” the title track to the band’s new album.

Not all of Tears for Fears’ material Saturday, however, was up to that standard, though leader Roland Orzabal’s quiet reading of Radiohead’s “Creep” was nearly as effective as the original, and it showed that Orzabal still draws inspiration from the newest generation of British pop.

Vega was a late addition to this lineup, and came only with a frustratingly brief three-song set. Technical problems marred her first song, but she recovered for a moving, new jazz-based number called “Caramel.”

In spite of a sultry stage persona, Hawkins’ work is mostly tame torch songs, which she managed to perform with great conviction. The singer switched excitedly from xylophone to percussion to guitar, and melodramatically fell to her knees, as if in search of passion within her material that usually wasn’t there.

Opening the night was a double dose of cuteness from the Barenaked Ladies and the Ben Folds Five. Dumb jokes were as plentiful as songs from both bands, though the Barenaked Ladies built up the most adrenaline with tunes of bright and playful folk-based rock.