(Reuters) (12/22/03)

By Darryl Morden

Edited By Michael Bennett

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - After a three-year hiatus, the reunited MAVERICKS' eclectic blend of country, lounge-pop and rock was a touch rusty but still fun with a wink.

Founding members Raul Malo on vocals, bassist Robert Reynolds and drummer Paul Deakin were joined by new guitarist and harmony singer Eddie Perez, and Jerry Dale McFadden, the group's touring keyboard tickler of the mid-'90s, is back in the fold -- a welcome return -- along with the continued use of a lively three-man horn section.

While The Mavericks' new self-titled Sanctuary Records debut isn't quite the "Rubber Soul" unified diversity of their last full studio set, 1998's "Trampoline," it's an inviting collection, and the songs really came to full life onstage.

In fact, the group played it too safe, opening with fan favorites including the bluesy 'Tell Me Why' and Beatlesque-with-Tijuana-Brass-horns "I Should Know," rather than come on strong with some of the new material.

A late showtime because of an earlier holiday party at the venue didn't help things as the band took the stage a little past 11 p.m.

The crowd began to dwindle a bit after about an hour, but a half-full club stuck with the band for the whole ride.

Once they began to dig into the new stuff, the pacing picked up, mixing the chipper and bouncy 'Would You Believe,' about impending apocalypse, and jangle-pop rush of 'I Want to Know' with older country hits that included "What a Crying Shame" and the honky-tonk two-step of 'There Goes My Heart.'

Malo's voice is as rich as ever, with bittersweet and bold accents.

Few singers in country or pop right now can touch him on torchy ballads like 'I'm Wondering,' which featured a contrapuntal voice in a muted trumpet.

The Reynolds-Deakin rhythm section remains rock-solid, and Perez proved his mettle on guitar with ample doses of reverberating twang and sharp lead licks.

The more the group played, the more they loosened up, hitting a stride with a seasonal cover of 'Blue Christmas' that turned into a sing-along with the audience and later soaring gloriously with a version of The Hollies' 'The Air That I Breathe,' which appears on the new album.

For the encore, things hit another level of playtime, a mixed bag that included the Tom Jones/Englebert Humperdink-inspired '60s-style romp of 'I Said I Love You,' from Malo's 2001 Latin solo excursion 'Today'; Malo and Perez turning guitars into bouzoukis for the Greek instrumental 'Never On A Sunday'; the swaying Mexican cantina howl of 'Volver, Volver,' with drunken, swaying horns; and the organ-driven, tilt-a-whirl Tex-Mex of 'All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.'

There was no doubt about it, The Mavericks are back indeed, and it's good to have 'em.

Veteran local Latino roots rockers The Blazers performed in the night's opening slot.

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