Country/pop band the Dixie Chicks are selling albums by the bucketload. A trio of photogenic blondes, they look like a phoney record company creation, and their much-played single Wide Open Spaces is a bore, more pop than country.
But onstage at the Olympia last night they blew away all doubts, putting on an accomplished and hugely enjoyable show.
Wide Open Spaces is a momentary lapse - for the most part, they play solid country, and singer Natalie Maines is the star.
At times she strained unnecessarily for volume, but she has the requisite country twang, and sings with total conviction.
They opened with a delightfully slick Tonight the Heartache's on Me, while Maines came into her element on the soulful Loving Arms.
In the early stages the other two Chicks - Emily Erwin (banjo and guitar) and Martie Seidel (fiddle) - appeared largely ornamental. But they proved their worth on a breathless hoedown, trading dazzling solos.
The Dixie Chicks' set was short but perfectly constructed, mixing fast and slow material in just the right quantities.
They drew heavily on their recent album, which is made up entirely of cover versions, but also included a few promising originals.
Maines' Riding on a Sin Wagon was particularly satisfying, a blistering piece of rockabilly.
The three-part vocal harmonies were a pleasure all evening, but were exposed particularly on one of the encores - a cleverly arranged a capella version of James Taylor's Lonesome Road.
The Dixie Chicks may be slick and commercial, but they're no sellout.