Jackie Greene [ tickets ] is in his mid-20s, but his soulful voice--one that's much more powerful in a live setting than on any of his recordings to date--sounds like it should be coming from a man twice his age.

The easiest frame of reference for the Sacramento singer/songwriter is Bob Dylan--especially when Greene straps on an acoustic guitar and a harmonica--but there's also a strong blues element. That aspect of his music is especially present on his latest album (and his first major-label release), "American Myth," from which Greene pulled much of his setlist for his Friday (3/17) SXSW performance at Eternal.

Greene--who took to the stage clad in a maroon-red smoking jacket, jeans and dark sunglasses--had an instantly commanding stage presence, despite his youthful looks. He was able to keep the crowd's attention with an unrelenting series of quality, timeless-sounding songs, and even had the confidence to tell the people chatting in the back of the venue to "shut up" at one point--and managing to keep them quiet with the quality of the song that followed.

One of the most encouraging things about Greene--who had the poise of a fully formed artist even as a teen--is that he's stepping further from his earlier comfort zone. So while he nailed his take on the Dylan-esque "About Cell Block #9," from 2004's "Sweet Somewhere Bound," he was just as convincing on "Hollywood," a song from his new album that owes little to Dylan.

Less inspiring was his take on his new song "So Hard to Find My Way," a song that's too middle-of-the-road for an artist of Greene's caliber.