Juana Molina

The daughters of Joni and Joan are alive and well and living these days in places like Buenos Aires and Portland, Ore. They also were on stage Tuesday night at the Troubadour, demonstrating to a transfixed crowd how they've absorbed the lessons of the aforementioned Mitchell, Baez and other elder stateswomen of the singer-songwriter sisterhood.

Is Juana Molina the bravest woman in Latin music? The Argentine songstress could exploit her physical beauty if she wished, but instead she projects an image of ethereal austerity. She could draw from her gifts as a former television comedian, but her material emphasizes gravity and contemplation over humor. She could hide her obvious shyness beneath a full-fledged band but prefers to go solo. Until recently, in fact, Molina performed accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Alejandro Franov.