Spirited Reagon Thrives on Adversity

Toshi Reagon got lost on her way to the Knitting Factory on Thursday, and when she got there she found a sparse crowd. Then, after just three strums of her guitar, a string broke.

But if you think that left Reagon discouraged, you don’t know her history. She’s the daughter of two members of the Freedom Singers, who put up with much worse to perform during the civil rights struggles of the ‘60s.

In fact, the glitches only seemed to fire Reagon up. A spirited performer to begin with, she was even more so Thursday, playfully sparring with her three bandmates and bantering with the fans, who made up in enthusiasm what they lacked in numbers. She improvised a few funny verses on the difference between the Hollywood Knitting Factory and its funkier New York sister, and later she, bassist Fred Cash and drummer Robert Burke tried a spontaneous run at the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You.”

Most important, Brooklyn-based Reagon and her crew energized her own songs, which at their best take the social consciousness of her heritage and personalize it through heavy influences of ‘70s rock (a little Fleetwood Mac here, a little folk-rocky Rod Stewart there, a lot of Bob Marley throughout).

“Ballad of the Broken Word,” from her new, fourth album, “Toshi,” most fully showed off her powerful, soulful voice and her band’s strengths. Starting with a spare, Led Zeppelin-esque drum pattern, the song built steadily into a forceful, blues-informed meditation on freedom and, finally, into intense rock, powered by lead guitarist Jen Leigh’s fiery playing.

While some of the new songs lack a killer chorus or distinctive arrangement, the power of her personality and the heat of the performance reaffirmed Reagon’s status as an artist to watch.