Singer Robyn doesn't let down fans

The Swedish pop star Robyn strutted and vamped her way through an entertaining hour-long performance Wednesday at the Fillmore at TLA. The crowd only reached half-capacity but it was a devoted one that had visibly learned songs from Robyn's self-titled fourth album, which came out in Sweden in 2005 but only reached the States last month.

The bulk of her set came from that album, beginning with the hip-hop-influenced "Cobrastyle." Wearing a tight black one-piece with an elongated left sleeve and her signature half-shaved haircut, Robyn's look was sharp and smart, much like her sophisticated take on bouncy bubblegum and heart-on-sleeve ballads. She was backed by three men in suits who alternately played two sets of drums, an electronic drum kit, and a synthesizer armed with samples.

Her recent songs proved happily suggestive yet safe for mainstream consumption, from the ABBA sheen of "Crash and Burn Girl" to the Cyndi Lauper-style "Who's That Girl." A medley of covers showed off her influences, from Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" and Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It" to Snoop Dogg's recent "Sexual Eruption."

The standout "Handle Me," meanwhile, recalled Sophie B. Hawkins' 1990s hit "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover." Robyn had her own U.S. hit that decade - "Show Me Love" - with which she began the encore, in a skeletal delivery. The second encore brought the Madonna-ish "Keep This Fire Burning" and a ballad reprise of "Be Mine!," a song she played earlier in the night as a bubbly dance cut.

Unlike Britney Spears or Ashlee Simpson, Robyn (a.k.a. the 28-year-old Robin Miriam Carlsson) has whipped herself into a confident performer whose voice actually sounds better live than on her records. She also refuses to enlist guest rappers for crossover appeal or bare her midriff at every opportunity. She even started her own label, Konichiwa Records, to release her music independently of industry pressures.

If her album does well here, Robyn could be playing bigger venues by the end of the year. If not, she'll still have an eager fan base that she acquired without sacrificing her strong personality or equally strong set of artistic ethics.