Raul Malo As the founder of the 1990s band the Mavericks, Raul Malo showcased his prodigious talents on a succession of exemplary CDs recorded for MCA Nashville. Unfortunately, country radio, in its infinite myopia, failed to recognize one of the great voices and songwriters on the popular music scene today.

The Mavericks broke up several years ago, but Malo has continued to perform at regional clubs and nightspots throughout the country, most recently, at The Canyon in Agoura last Thursday night.

"Maverick" is the perfect word to describe Malo's music, because it flaunts all the conventions that have seen country music become a flaccid parade of cookie-cutter, hat-wearing, would-be hunks and hunkettes. Possessing one of the most mellifluous voices in recent times, Malo incorporates a variety of musical styles into his act, including Tejano, mariachi, honky-tonk and early '60s rock.

From the dramatic, pulsing opening number, "Every Little Thing About You," to his infectious Tex-Mex encore, "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," Malo had The Canyon rocking, a twominute standing ovation capping his 90-minute set.

Malo's soulful voice is powerful and sultry, making him capable of delivering a well-worn standard like "Besame Mucho" with passion and drama one minute, while rocking out on the mariachi-flavored "Dance the Night Away" the next.

His voice has most often been compared to Roy Orbison's, especially in Malo's soaring rendition of J.D. Souther's "You're Only Lonely." But catchy rockers like "The Things You Said to Me" also bring to mind Waylon Jennings or Elvis Presley at his most playful. (The song's bass riff resembles Presley hits like "Such a Night.")

The 42-year-old Malo was born in Miami to parents of Cuban heritage. He formed the Mavericks in 1989, recording six studio albums before the group disbanded in 2003. During that time, Malo explored his own Latino roots, adding mariachi horns to his recordings, something that most likely scared off most country radio programmers.

Still, Malo's songs are more country than those performed by the cloying, posing superstars of today. In his set, he included traditional country sounds ranging from Ray Price's loping, honky-tonk shuffle ("My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You") to Dwight Yoakam's "It Only Hurts When I Cry."

Malo's compositions are rooted in '60s rock, a time when the music world still emphasized a hook-driven simple melody, a solid dance beat and only a few uncomplicated chords (Malo favors the bending wah-wah surf guitar sound of groups like the Ventures). Songs like his own compositions "What a Crying Shame" and "Pretend" combine this with the simplicity of country hits by artists like George Jones and Willie Nelson. Add a dose of mariachi trumpet and you have songs that cross popular music barriers.

The multitude of influences is probably the reason why Malo's unique blend backfired on him. Country radio stations found his music a little too far out of the mainstream, while rock stations found the Mexican element of his music difficult to accept. Refusing to compromise his style, Malo soldiers on, and his set at The Canyon proved to be one of the most satisfying and impressive that I've seen in a long while.

In interviews, Malo has admitted to experimenting with other styles, but since the breakup of the Mavericks, he's devoted much of his time to covering classic romantic standards like "At Last" and songs by '60s country icons like Don Gibson and Roger Miller. He promises that he has returned to writing songs again; several new solo projects are currently in the planning stages.

That is good news for his fans: for Raul Malo, not writing songs would indeed be "a crying shame."