12/10: Over the Rhine at Kent Stage

Over the Rhine have an uncanny way with emotion. They’re also pretty good at choosing the most appropriate sonic backdrop for delivery. The band’s tendency toward bleaker psychic explorations has largely disappeared over the past few albums, but it recently added jazzy Americana to its mix. Bluesy cabaret swagger plays alongside gospel nouveau and pop balladry, as Karin Bergquist channels a classier era of powerful female singers. If anything, her voice sounds more natural in this setting than it does in the band’s indie-pop. The immediacy of the music mingles well with the more upbeat moods. In the Live From Nowhere series, Over the Rhine couple this new stylistic permutation with classics from their catalog. The band’s ongoing ability to engage with its music and audience manages to shed new light on everything it’s done to this point. Over the Rhine perform at Kent Stage (175 E. Main St., Kent, 330.677.5005) at 8 p.m. Tickets: $22. — Nicholas Hall