Rigby’s Humor and Heartache

Covering romance from the first “hello” to the last “goodbye,” singer-songwriter Amy Rigby captured contradictory emotions with clarity and subtle wit during her Thursday performance at Spaceland.

The Nashville resident and former member of indie-pop group the Shams became a critical darling with her 1996 solo debut, “Diary of a Mod Housewife,” a bright ‘n’ shiny blend of classic pop-rock, folk, and country that examined her broken marriage and the challenges of growing older but remaining unconventional. On two later collections, 1998’s “Middlescence” and last year’s “The Sugar Tree,” she has honed this ability to peer unflinchingly at past mistakes while mustering hope for something better.

Backed by a trio, Rigby played guitar throughout the 50-minute set. Her rich talent really shone in the deceptively subdued “Keep It to Yourself,” a new song in which a wronged woman talks of forgiving the man who broke her heart while feeding her new lover information that reveals her true, hilariously murderous intentions.

A breathy edge in her achy-breaky warble underscored the way Rigby’s sharp humor and adventurous spirit protected a more sensitive core. She could be seductively exuberant, as in “Wait Til I Get You Home,” or defensively optimistic, as in “Cynically Yours.” Yet, rather than seeming incongruous, these warring tendencies made her all the more human.