Mandy Moore finds no trouble in Paradise

Mandy Moore began her set at the Paradise on Sunday with "Slummin' in Paradise." Moore might be a Hollywood star, but her beaming smile said this was exactly where she wanted to be: playing in a bona fide rock club with her band, her tour bus parked outside. "All I ever dreamed of since I was a little girl was going on tour," she declared halfway through her set.

Moore, who was born in Nashua, was to have coheadlined the Berklee Performance Center with Paula Cole, who canceled due to "an unforeseen family commitment," said a press release. Moore carried on at the Paradise instead, no mention of Cole or cancellation. Like most of the songs, "Slummin" is from her new country-flavored pop record, "Wild Hope."

Dressed in a demure black dress with a pretty necklace (Britney, take note), Moore delivered another pair of warm, melodic, but hardly memorable new songs before soaring beautifully on a lightly arranged cover of Cat Stevens's "Moonshadow." Later, she took on Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" and won with another poignant vocal.

Opener Rachael Yamagata joined her for the song they co-wrote, "Ladies Choice." Moore revealed they had bonded over frozen margaritas. A new version of "Wild Hope" followed, which she said was "sexier." It began slow and spare, with a misty chill-out vibe, and ended fiercely, propelled by drummer John O Riley Jr. Actually, the next song was sexier: "Extraordinary" had a sultry samba vibe, and even girl-next-door Moore managed a little hip-swiveling shimmy.

Moore ended where she had begun, with "Candy." "I'm indecisive about this song. I sang it when I was 15. Let me take you back to 1999," she declared, receiving massive cheers from the audience, who then sang along and waved their arms, no doubt embracing their own 1999 as much as Mandy's.

Performing with veteran guitarist Kevin Salem, and backed at one point by Moore's band, Yamagata played a set that revealed another tenacious plucky spirit. Chris Stills' powerful opening set was impressive, but there was no doubt this night belonged to the girls.