When Gretchen Wilson unleashes that strong, husky voice, you know immediately that she isn't a woman with whom you want to quibble.

Since her notable debut four years ago with the barroom stomper "Redneck Woman," the tough-yet-sexy Wilson has always straddled the line between rock and country.

Fitting then, that she was welcomed to the Innsbrook stage last night by recorded snippets of Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC songs, as clips from her various talk-show appearances flickered across a pair of video screens.

By opening with the boisterous "Here For the Party," Wilson, looking simple and cute in jeans and a tank top, immediately endeared herself to this smokin', drinkin' crowd of about 3,200, which was more than ready to oblige.

For an hour and 15 minutes, Wilson and her six-piece band -- including a pedal steel guitarist and fiddler to add the necessary twang to her strong rock leanings -- thundered through "There's A Place in the Whiskey" (featuring a cool slice of ZZ Top's "La Grange") and "Homewrecker."

When Wilson growled on the latter, "I'll teach you a lesson," trust us, you took her at her word.

But for all of her no-nonsense material, the 34-year-old singer/guitarist exhibited a soft underbelly last night by bringing a little boy from the crowd onstage for a hug and graciously accepting a congratulations sign from a fan.

Wilson, who dropped out of school in ninth grade, recently passed the General Education Development exam and will accept her diploma on Thursday in Tennessee.

She's also constructed a noteworthy career through only three albums, which have sold about 6 million copies combined.

While there's nothing complex about her songs, they often complement a drive with the windows rolled down or an afternoon hanging with friends in the backyard, particularly the sassy jukebox favorites "All Jacked Up" and "You Don't Have to Go Home."

But as easy as her own songs are to enjoy, the highlight of last night's show came with her impressively tight arena-rock versions of Journey's "Separate Ways" and Heart's "Barracuda."

These weren't mere padding, but perfectly chosen covers to remind listeners again that there's more than a little rock 'n' roll residing in the heart of this country girl.
Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.