Maria Isa's new album came out five months ago and she hasn't stopped promoting it whenever she can. She hasn't even slowed down.

Promotion hasn't come easily for Isa, though. Despite some refined songsmithery, serious but accessible lyrics, and an abundance of hooks and high production values, mainstream alternative radio will barely touch her. (I think I heard her once on the Current back in about 2009, but hometown big radio has mostly ignored her since then.)

That's where her live shows come in. On the stage, Isa is a walking, talking, rapping, dancing, riotous advertisement for what's on sale at the merch table, and her show at the Lowertown Bedlam last weekend, supporting last year's 'Valley of the Dolls' album, was a tour de force in that respect.

The opening sets brought out some great, short performances from rappers Nazeem and Muja Messiah, but the real standout among the openers was singer/songwriter Lydia Liza. Local music fans may know her from Bomba de Luz or from her work on 'Pangea' by Toki Wright & Big Cats, but her solo work retains a much lower profile to date.

Her unique folk sound combines a full, rich and crisp-sounding guitar with vocal power and timbre akin to a whisper leaning against a sonic boom. The former is a surprising rarity among solo performers, (the more muffled tones we're used to hearing from contemporary folk singers' guitars being so common you may not even notice them until you hear their cleaner counterpart,) and the latter hints of Kat Bjelland during Babes in Toyland's heyday. By comparison, both singers belt beautifully, but Liza's relaxed catalog allows more: Her voice dips, sighs, flutters and occasionally trembles through the softer parts, accentuating the emotion in her lyrics.

Artistically, she seemed to be channeling some combination of Jewel, Ani and mid-Seventies Tom Waits. Her stage presence was folksy, with an almost "Aw, shucks," humility that belied her effect on the crowd. They burst into surprised applause after the first song, then got louder each time a lull between songs called for clapping. By the end, one wondered what it would take to follow her, but then one remembered that the headliner was no slouch either.

Once she took the stage, Maria Isa wasted no time getting her infectious, old-school showmanship on. All the jumping, dancing and belting of lyrics left her sweating before the first song was done. Making intense music for people who love music intensely has always been her thing, but the 'Dolls' show at Bedlam showed that she clearly treats concerts with the same vigor.

To say that she went all over the pop music spectrum would be an understatement. Isa transcended the spectrum, blending hints of both ferocity and bubblegum into the broader soul/hip-hop/bomba mix, inviting fellow rappers to join her on the stage to rap at times, flawlessly freestyling on her own at others, and crooning softly at still others, both accompanied and a cappella.

If there was one problem with the show, it was an overzealous sound tech who cranked Isa's band up and frequently lost her in the mix. It was so loud, in fact, that brick dust shook from the walls throughout the set while she struggled to match the band's volume.

Isa's team-up with the Bedlam made for an epic show, but it was also more: It was a notch in Lowertown's nightlife belt. Whatever it once was about St. Paul that validated Garrison Keillor's jokes is gone now, (or at least concentrated into a few small enclaves around Mac-Groveland,) and what's sprung up instead is a virile modern music culture. Some cutting edge artists live and work there, and you wouldn't be surprised to pass by the Lioness, deM atlaS or Desdamona on a stroll down 4th Street.

The Bedlam itself, long known for its plays and cabaret shows, and as a rally point for progressives, has started coming into its own as a concert venue. It hosted the hip-hop festival that brought Micranots out of retirement last year, it's a frequent dance venue for local DJs and their followings, and it's used shows aplenty up to and including Maria Isa to lure new crowds down to the last stop on the Green Line.

Maria Isa's local fans may have to wait a while to see her again. She's on her way to New York for another Valley of the Dolls concert and an appearance at the Viva Latino Film Festival. The Bedlam will keep it going on February 13th with a CD release show for Hot Date, followed on Valentines Day with the Bleeding Hearts Romp cabaret show and dance party.

[Image: Provided]