Low-Key Blues Guitarist Tedeschi Has the Skill but Lacks the Spark

Blues guitarist Susan Tedeschi has learned her lessons well. Performing Friday at the House of Blues, the Boston-based singer-songwriter played tunes associated with such giants of the genre as Ruth Brown, Koko Taylor, Albert King and Junior Wells. She even did John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery,” which Bonnie Raitt recorded on an early album.

Even though artists such as Raitt have long proved that anyone with the right stuff can be an authentic blues player, Tedeschi’s skills did defy her appearance. As the set began, out stepped a black-clad young woman who looked like an eccentric librarian, wearing thick-rimmed glasses (quickly doffed), a fake-fur-trimmed cardigan and knee-length skirt. Yet she riffed and finger-picked with merry authority, singing in a throaty, full-bodied alto and sometimes belting impressively.

Unfortunately, once the novelty wore off, you couldn’t help but notice that her originals offered nary a fresh lick, and neither Tedeschi nor her backing trio put much flash into the presentation.

Fleeting moments of fire included the soulful ballad “Just Won’t Burn” (the title track from her current album) and a few bursts of impassioned soloing. But tepid, by-the-numbers takes on such well-worn classics as “Hound Dog” and “Got My Mojo Working” were pointless and uninspired. Too bad, because Tedeschi showed a spirited appreciation for the blues. She just wasn’t very creative in interpreting them.