Pop Music Reviews : Surprise: Syd Straw Rises to Another Challenge . . .

Singer Syd Straw must have a knack for placing herself in challenging situations. Three years ago, the loosely constituted group the Golden Palominos played to audiences expecting its on-disc stars such as John Lydon and Jack Bruce to front the band. Instead, they got Straw, and found it wasn’t a bad trade at all. Her current debut album “Surprise” finds her musical and lyrical vision riding herd over a fat roster of musicians who are known for packing their own encompassing visions, including Michael Stipe, John Doe, Van Dyke Parks and Richard Thompson.

Though confined to a short set before an unacquainted audience when opening for Adrian Belew at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Sunday, the willowy, pig-tailed singer connected with a set that was nothing short of fearless in its mix of powerful, personally felt music and unfettered sense of play. Backed by a quartet that included Dave Alvin and X’s D.J. Bonebrake, Straw’s performance was both muscular and cerebral, with songs by such disparate sources as Sons of the Pioneers and X coming off as her own fresh possessions.

Straw’s lyrics and delivery can seem precious at times--”Unanswered Questions” sounded like an unholy cross between Carly Simon and T Bone Burnett--and on a couple of songs the arrangements seemed half-baked. But those were minor flaws compared to Straw’s fresh, informed take on popular American music, which draws on Stephen Foster rather then David Foster.

Straw and headliner Belew also play two shows at the Roxy tonight.