Very rarely has one single national touring act filled the room of the converted Croatian Liberty Home environ with a more versatile sound, and under as many different monikers, as Dave Alvin. Originally, he and brother Phil fronted their band the Blasters reunion here, and then Dave came as a member of country alters The Knitters. Then a few years ago he came with his own Dave Alvin and The Guilty Men, and the past two years, with Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women. In each instance, Alvin has brought his A-game; A-game as in American Music. No single musician exemplifies the rich and versatile stylings of American music quite like Alvin. This past Thursday night as the temperature was dropping’ into a post summer slumber outside, Alvin and the Guilty women heated up all 150 or so in attendance inside, for nearly two hours with a catalog of American music styles. The songs were as versatile and skillfully polished as the quintet that joined Alvin on stage.  With the audience being more of a hip, middle-aged majority, the floor was set up night club style with table rounders and chairs. This was not a standing-room only free for-all night. The band performed a mixture of Alvin-penned Blaster roots/country retakes, as well as a balance of songs from Alvin’s solo career dating back to Romeo’s Escape (1987) and included numbers from Blackjack Dave (1998), Blues Boulevard (1991), King of California (1994), Ashgrove (2004) and West of the West (2006). Of course, the songs from last year’s self-titled Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women release were woven in nicely. For old Blaster fans, Alvin and ensemble did his retakes of penned songs “Marie, Marie” “Long White Cadillac” and Border Radio”.  Alvin hit the stage in his trademark hat and boots with red handkerchief and he wasted little time, as he in the girls dove in head first opening with Alvin’s “Fourth of July”. Originally recorded during his short stint with legendary punk band X, the song took a more root-folk sound as it was later re-recorded on his solo efforts. It came across in true Alvinesque fashion. Veteran singer Christy McWilson showed her vocal strength with a country-pop reverence and toughness on “Weight of the World”. It became very evident early on that McWilson and her fellow Guilty Women were only going to be guilty tonight of keeping Alvin musically on his toes.  This was accomplished with  their veteran craftswomanship. Alvin and ensemble were definitely on tonight. One of the real keys to the successful melding of sounds from this dynamic group of crafty veterans is due in part to the steel lap guitar mastery of Cindy Cashdollar. Cashdollar gives the band a slick and southern sensibility to Alvin’s West Coast rockabilly roots. Cashdollar’s skillful and seductive slide was never more song exemplified than on “California Burning” as she finger-massaged her instrument into a fretful fire of finesse. The rhythm section of bass player Sarah Brown and drummer Lisa Pankratz both wailed and drove the 15-song set, and they were a steadying duo force that balanced the guitar variations of the night. Pankratz was relentless and Brown was as steady a rhythm as you will find. The most poignant moment of the night, came two-thirds of the way through the set when Alvin dedicated “Potter’s Field”, (off the new album). He dedicated the song to the former Guilty Men member and  best friend, the late Chris Gaffney. He also dedicated the number to onetime Guilty Women fiddler, the late Amy Farris. McWilson sang the number with a strong and haunting somberness, with just the right melancholy meld.   In a much lighter moments, McWilson and Alvin bantered back much of the evening trading lines and taking turns handling vocals almost in the same vein as Johnny and June Carter Cash. Alvin’s vocals have aged well with his smoky, well-oiled offerings coming across on each number. This was never more clear than on “Boss of the Blues”, where Alvin sang of his early days as a teen rubbing shoulders with the likes of Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker and more. It would have been great to have had band member Laurie Lewis play her fiddle on this Delta Swing. Lewis and guitarist Gina Gerber were not with the band on this night.  The band did a three-song encore to put the finishing touch on the evening. Alvin opened the xtra session with a solo heart-wrenching version of “Border Radio”. The girl-powered posse plugged back in for “Haley’s Comet” and closed out the night along with Alvin on a rocking version of the 50’s classic hit “Que Sera, Sera”. When it was all said and done, Alvin and his Guilty Women had musically transported the crowd across the landscape of American-rooted music, and no one needed a map.