The enigmatic and unquestionably talented Hank Williams III [ tickets ] displayed more shortcomings than assets during his Thursday night (3/16) SXSW showcase at Antone's.

Hank III has gone through incarnations as a rocker (of the punk and metal varieties) and as a traditional country singer (in the Hank Sr. vein). In recent years, he's playing sets split down the middle: half country and half so-called "assjack," which is something akin to death metal with electrified country instrumentation.

The problem is, Hank III is beating the same basic themes into the ground whatever he's playing: bad-boy partying, lamenting the current state of country music and homages to outlaw-country greats. While the music is always well executed, the redundancy of the subject matter borders on parody. When he opens a show with the party theme "Straight to Hell," it's fun. But by the time he makes his way though a half-dozen other similar odes, it's ponderous.

During Thursday's performance, Hank III signaled the "assjack" portion of his show by removing his cowboy hat, letting down his ponytail, donning a trucker cap, and strapping on an electric guitar. Needless to say, that didn't add any subtlety or depth to the subject matter; instead it made the whole shtick seem more simplistic.

There's a lot to appreciate in Hank III--including a voice that evokes his famous grandpa and a powerful stage presence--but until he finds more direction and focus, he's bound to frustrate all but his truest believers.