Perry still swinging for fences

Kimberly Perry was not about to run away from her past as the lead singer of the family band The Band Perry. In fact, she embraced it in concert and then some as she has moved on from there from songs from her solo career.

Perry made it clear where she was coming, singing "I am a girl who's swingin' for fences" in the lead-off song, "Swingin' For Fences."

Despite the cup half full sentiment of that song, Perry also self-admittedly sang a lot about death. "Better Dig Two," "Cry at Your Funeral" and, of course, the closing song and biggest hit of her (and her previous band's career), "If I Die Young."

But even then, Perry does not paint totally bleak, black pictures. There's a coming to terms with life (and death) and somehow the positivity therein.

Accompanied by two understated, but very effective musicians on guitar and bass with Perry sometimes playing a big bodied acoustic, the spotlight was on her singing. Perry's slightly husky voice was in fine form with songs that tended to be more on the pop side of country.

Perry made it clear – she often engaged in talking with the crowd and telling stories about the song – that she was back into country after a foray into pop and moving to Los Angeles (the well-delivered song "Fool's Gold" found Perry wanted nothing to do with La La Land and was happy being back in Tennessee).

On "Black Corvette," she told of marrying her second husband, Johnny, in a midnight wedding in Vegas after being together about nine months and renting a black Corvette in Los Angeles.

One of the best songs of the night, the unreleased "Mama Now I Know," found Perry talking about her tough love mother, Marie, and the lessons learned.

It would have been easy for Perry to mail in the performance as the small crowd of about 70 was on the quiet side. Perry was not having any of it.

Whether Perry will clear those fences on her own is no given in these challenging musical times when the next new thing attitude abounds, but it won't be because she is lacking in songs, personality or singing to pull it off.

Opener Abbey Cone may have played with a bit of a chip on her shoulder – saying she was an independent artist after a "shitty record deal" – but if that's what it took for her, all good.

The Texan has an expressive country voice. Playing acoustic guitar with cowboy hat atop her head, Cone had a freewheeling, setlist-free outing of unrecorded, older material and a well-delivered cover of Miley Cyrus' "Flowers." Cone later came out during Perry's set for a cowboy medley including "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" and "Cowboy Take Me Away," with both Perry and Cone taking stanzas. Cone knows a thing or two about country. Maybe it's good – at least for now – that she has a chip.