Suzanne Vega

Often perceived as the ice queen of singer/songwriters (coolly ironic, archly executed, fastidiously literate), Suzanne Vega quickly deconstructed such notions with a warm, well-received gig last night. Bookending her set with her two best-known songs, Marlene On The Wall and Luka, she charmed the partisan audience using nothing more than an acoustic guitar, a bulging batch of fine songs and a bass player who provided a sympathetic rhythmic pulse throughout.

Observational lyrics succeed if the writer can mould them into a narrative which goes beyond personal experience. It's to Vega's credit that her songs do this and more. With the benefit of her not inconsiderable back catalogue, she pulled material out of the bag that in lesser hands would have sounded cold and calculated. Clearly egged on (and delighted) by the response of the audience, Vega peppered her between-songs comments with jokey references to her daughter and her recent marriage break-up with record producer Mitchell Froom.

She also read an extract from her recent US-published book of collected writings. Her empathy with the subject matter (her childhood friend, Millie) meant that what could have been considered self-indulgent was actually embraced as much as were her songs.

A thoughtful and considered performer, Suzanne Vega held the audience in the palms of her hands without once letting go of her responsibility to entertain. If only it was like this all the time.

Suzanne Vega plays HQ again tonight (8 p.m.). To book, phone: 01-4546656.