Neko Case struck a classic pose just before the music began: head thrown back, her thick red mane like a curtain around her shoulders, mouth wide open and ready to wail. And wail she did as she stepped into "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood," the title song from her triumphant new album.
It was a pose and voice that probably launched scores of wet dreams later that night, as Case is indeed the hot crush of the moment for the alternative country boys (and likely a few of the girls as well) who packed the joint for her showcase. "Unbelievable!" raved one lad to his friend later in the set. "Her voice hits places other singers never reach."
And that voice was indeed at its most potent yet touching as Case wore her alt-country queen crown with a regal magnificence. It was also in stark contrast to her last Austin festival show in 2004, where she rocked hard but frequently sang flat in front of a massive Austin City Limits fest crowd, much to the frustration of this listener, who was wishing to be won over. This time, she fulfilled her promise and more, and did so in a set that of stately and graceful songs, most of them mid-tempo, atop which her sexily dusky vocals soared and swooped in full flight.
Numbers from Fox Confessor formed the spine of her set, interspersed with older songs in a similar vein like the spookily seductive "I Wish I Was The Moon" and waltzing pas de deux of "Deep Red Blues." And rather than ape the conventions of country music like so many of the Americana pretenders today, Case redefines if not reassembles the genre to her best purpose, creating a genuine alternative that still remains tied to the root, in large part thanks to multi-instrumental MVP Jon Rauhouse's steel guitar, dobro and banjo. While the music swirled with atmosphere, Case's robust singing held the usually gabby SXSW crowd in rapt attention, earning lusty cheers and applause after each number.
To punctuate her musical command, Case encored with a reverent take of Ralph Stanley's "Wayfaring Stranger," then stripped it down to just bass, dobro and voice for "Look For Me (I'll Be Around)," and finally summoned up a revivalist spirit on "John Saw That Number" (ably abetted by Kelly Hogan and Rachel Flotard on backing vocals). It all ended as it began, with her head thrown back, mouth wide open, holding a note that proverbially echoed well into the night.
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