POP MUSIC REVIEW : The Next Big Thing, or Just a Blur on the Rock Horizon?

Who does Damon Albarn think he is: a camp counselor, or Cole Porter?

At times during Blur’s lively concert on Tuesday at the John Anson Ford Theatre, the singer seemed like a man whose main goal was to establish a feel-good rapport with the audience.

He danced good-naturedly with fans who crawled onto the stage, mimicked the crowd’s enthusiasm by hopping around like a bullfrog, and sprayed the audience with water and beer so often that the act seemed to take on the tone of personal bonding.

You wouldn’t expect this lighthearted approach from a songwriter with the ambition (and nerve) to rhyme Balzac and Prozac in one song and “expensive way” and “a Beaujolais” in another.

It’s an odd mix of traits, but one that has helped make Blur the hottest and most acclaimed band in England in years.

In a glowing review of Blur’s new “The Great Escape” album, England’s Q magazine pointed all the way to Charles Dickens and George Orwell in praising Albarn, whose satirical character sketches focus on conformity in British life.

Albarn, whose influences are more likely David Bowie and the Kinks’ Ray Davies, stresses in interviews that Blur is a pop band rather than a rock band, which explains why he places more emphasis on songwriting craft (including deliciously appealing melodies and lyrics that rhyme) than on raw emotion.

This is a dramatic contrast to the tone of ‘90s American rock, which leans toward expressions of anger and alienation so personal and confessional that anything as polite as formal songwriting structure becomes suspect.

On stage, Albarn accentuates the positive as he moves about with an approachability and ease that make every number seem a sing-along. And the melodies are so seductive in such tunes as “Charmless Man” and “Country House” that it’s hard not to join in.

Beneath the good cheer, however, you find some jagged edges in his lyrics--a bit of the old David Lynch search for dark shadows beneath blue suburban skies. Describing end-of-the-century tensions, the songs speak of sinister acts and surrendered ambitions.

Tuesday’s capacity crowd--exhibiting the vigor of trend-spotters eager to be in on the first wave of a new movement--was enthralled, but Blur may seem a bit nonessential to a wider audience in this country. Albarn settles at times for songs that are simply clever rather than reaching inside deeply enough for works--such as his hauntingly bleak “The Universal”--that are consistently revealing.

The challenge for the quartet, which was backed Tuesday by two horn players and a keyboardist, is to combine the accessibility and celebration of rock’s past without forcing us to turn away from the revelation and passion that characterizes Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails and the best of ‘90s rock.

If Blur--and/or its arch rival Oasis--can achieve that balance, this new era of British rock may indeed spark a revolution. If not, we may be just talking about another failed potential.