‘SOMETIMES a cigar is just a cigar,” mused Sigmund Freud. Then again, he never heard the shockingly sexual music of indie rock star Liz Phair.
What’s incredible about Phair, who just finished an intimate, two-show engagement at Joe’s Pub, is how she musters the courage to sing about her deepest sexual desires.
No other artist, male or female, comes close to understanding lust like Liz.
You heard it in her unforgettable, send-the-kids-to-bed rendition of “Flower” (from her groundbreaking ’93 album “Exile in Guyville”) and in the new love song “Closer to You,” where she sings about the handicap of blind love.
As hot as her lyrics are, she’s much more than a pretty blond waif who likes to talk dirty. Her songwriting and unconventional guitar playing shine through the steam.
Joe’s Pub was the perfect place for fans to focus on her writing. With few tables, a standing-room-only bar and no-frills stage, there was nothing to distract from the music while Phair dipped into her four released albums and new material from her coming October release, “Somebody’s Miracle.”
Tuesday’s performance started with some nasty, ear-busting feedback the sound guy harnessed during her second song, the sea chantey-esque “Black Market White Baby Dealer.”
In a strange way, the combination of sound glitch and that satirical, adoption-for-cash song made the audience smile and also relaxed Phair, who’s prone to stage fright.
From then on, she was relaxed and chatty with the devoted, female-dominated audience.
Throughout her 90-minute performance, Phair’s voice was earthy and appealing. On record, her reedy vocal quality isn’t always apparent. In concert, it was there when she reached for her highs and was pronounced in her growlingly sexy middle range.
Phair is an untrained guitarist who has an oddball style, alternating between plucking and strumming the strings. When she’s with a full rock band, that usually gets lost in the sonic wash. In this acoustic performance, it was always just behind her voice.
When she’s in front of friendly faces, she’s far more than just a fair performer.
