Heavy Dose of Attitude From Matchbox 20

Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas clearly aspires to blue-eyed soul a la Van Morrison. But he doesn’t seem to realize that soul means more than a driven delivery and personal lyrics; it relies on astute songwriting, solid chops and deep passion.

When the Florida band launched into its set at the El Rey Theatre on Thursday, its attitude proved more intense than the actual songs, which is why the music was so much more engaging on stage than it is on the group’s debut album, the Top 10 hit “Yourself or Someone Like You.”

The quintet rollicked through most of the material from that album with enough vigor to fire up the fans who packed the club; tunes such as the hit “Push” and “Girl Like That” were hummable enough to sing along with and danceable enough to get the crowd moving. Altogether, though, it wasn’t enough to leave much of a lasting impression--which was fine, since it didn’t obscure Lili Haydn’s memorable opening set.

The singer-violinist has contributed to works by artists as diverse as the Rolling Stones and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, as well as composing her own music--an inventive, dynamic mixture of rock, jazz, funk and classical elements. At the El Rey, Haydn sang and unleashed solos with panache worthy of Eddie Van Halen, leading her five-piece ensemble through the truly inspired portion of the evening.