Julieta Venegas turns it around with a pop

“Something is changing,” Julieta Venegas sang in Spanish during the opening number of her sold-out performance Tuesday at the Conga Room. “You may not see it / But I do feel / Something is changing inside me.”

No kidding, Sherlock.

The most intriguing and talented woman in the rock en espanol movement pulled a shocking change of direction last year by abandoning the sophisticated sound of her previous two albums in favor of the unabashedly pop “Si,” a collection of sweet, uncomplicated love songs.

Not surprisingly, the album has become the Tijuana-born singer’s bestselling effort to date, as well as the center of a passionate debate in the Latin rock community. Has Julieta sold out? Or do her considerable talent and quirky personality make up for the limitations of her new aesthetic horizons?

As it turns out, even the weaker songs from “Si” sounded seductive in the live setting. Dancing rambunctiously across the stage and exalting the joys of romantic love whenever she spoke to her highly receptive audience, Venegas infused the new material with an exuberant vocal energy that was hard to resist.

And when it came time to revisit older songs such as “Amores Perros” and a wonderfully melodramatic version of Jose Jose’s pathos-filled “El Triste,” her sunny performances liberated them from the gloomy, nocturnal ambiance that used to be Venegas’ domain. Old and new songs merged together in a combustible mix that brimmed with unexpected touches of old-school funk and R&B.;

Venegas’ quest for a fresher sound was helped by the raucous vibe of her new four-piece band. The keyboard work of longtime collaborator Ceci Bastida was particularly illuminating. His evocative, Brian Eno-like contributions added a welcome touch of mystery to Venegas’ crystalline pop confections.