Talented Eatman Unveiled as Promising Prine Protege

John Prine has been widely heralded as one of the premier songwriters of his generation, but he’s earning a new title on a tour that began a brief Southern California swing on Tuesday at the Ventura Theatre in Ventura: promising talent scout.

Opening for Prine is Heather Eatman, a 27-year-old singer-songwriter from New York whose 45-minute set was filled with an authority and individuality of vision that you rarely find among new arrivals. Unlike so many artists who walk in the thematic footsteps of obvious models, Eatman unveils new attitudes and ironies in songs that spring from such varied symbols as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Statue of Liberty.

You find traces in her music of the minimalism of Lou Reed, the dynamic coloring of Rickie Lee Jones and the infectious lilt of Nick Lowe. Most important, there is a sizable portion of Eatman originality in her music, and it will be interesting to see how she expands on that freshness. Her debut album, “Mascara Falls,” is on Prine’s own Oh Boy Records.

Backed at times by a five-piece band and at other times with only his own acoustic guitar, Prine offered a wide range of material, from his early folk-flavored starkness to the bittersweet tenderness of “The Oldest Baby in the World” to the feel-good optimism of “It’s a Big Old Goofy World.” He remains an American music treasure.

* John Prine and Heather Eatman perform tonight at the House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 9 p.m. $27.50. (213) 650-1451.