Mavericks Show Off a Musical Jewel Box

The Mavericks broke though commercially a few years ago with a sound that was equal parts juiced-up honky tonk, neo-trad roots rock and tortured melodrama--the latter a byproduct of front man Raul Malo’s drop-dead-gorgeous voice.

Since then, they’ve absorbed numerous other styles to the point that calling them a country act is a bit like calling Beck a folkie. The quartet’s jubilant show at the Greek Theatre on Friday was both a meditation on heartbreak and an astonishing showcase of its musical abilities.

Mostly, the Mavs chose to focus on tracks from their latest release, “Trampoline,” an album that features strains of Tex-Mex, ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll and Southern soul.

In lesser hands, this might have come off as a hollow genre exercise, and there were moments--such as the band’s jump blues take on Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down”--when the whole thing threatened to devolve into camp. But the band--augmented by a horn section and two extra musicians--was surprisingly light on its feet, tackling everything from frisky gospel to ragtime shuffle with understated finesse.

Ultimately, however, it was Malo’s night. Graced with a soaring, emotion-drenched quaver that’s reminiscent of Roy Orbison’s, Malo’s extraordinary range allowed the band to even explore lounge territory--including a spot-on version of Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual” during the encore.