Guyton has the vocal chops. No matter what.

To say that Mickey Guyton was unnecessarily hard on herself would be an understatement. Part way through her show as part of the CMT On Tour, the singer told the crowd of about 200 that she had been battling a cold since Oct. 9.

Making her Boston debut, Guyton would apologize to the crowd more than once, saying that she was trying her hardest, but we already knew that. Ultimately, she cut her set short and didn't include an encore.

Despite Guyton feeling so badly about her singing, it was hard to tell that the Black country singer was having any problems over the course of the nearly 55-minute show. She had a slight grittiness to her singing on one song. That was about it.

From Guyton's perspective, her concern was understandable. Not a surprise given that the singer's calling card has been her vocal chops. Tonight was no different. It's one powerful instrument. There was a lot of feeling and engagement with the material when Guyton stepped to the mic. From the start with "Remember Her Name," Guyton's expressive singing carried her and the night.

Having a dose of charisma also helped in a personable performance. Backed by a trio, she mixed it up later with a three-song acoustic set including the playful "Rosé."

Guyton is labeled a country singer, and she talked more than once on being part of the country community. Her path hasn't always exactly been a straightforward one as she has at times languished on her label with releases coming far and few in between. That all seemed to change following the murder of George Floyd and reckoning by country music in how it dealt with and treated Black country artists.

Since then, she has released her only two full-length albums after a decade on Capitol Nashville (they had released EPs and singles along the way).

Guyton's music was more on the pop and R&B side than it is country. No matter what, though, it's her voice that stood out.

However, on perhaps her signature song, "Black Like Me," Guyton was left to provide some backing vocals for the most part with a guest singer, Lourde Childs taking lead. Guyton was spot on in her effusive praise for the Berklee College of Music student. That guy was one great soul singer.

This may not have been the concert Guyton dreamed of on her very first headlining tour, but she sure showed her singing chops no matter what she thought.

If looking for music on the traditional country side, then Denitia more than filled the bill on her opening set. Denitia, playing solo acoustic, was a tender-voiced singer with a lot of good, well created songs. Prime among them was "Goin' Back" and "Back to You." Denitia, a Texas native, was named one of the Next Women of Country. That's the kind of help that could give an artist a career boost. With performances like this, Denitia was most deserving.