TORONTO -- "It wouldn't be our show if we didn't play a depressing song," Jann Arden announced last night during the first of four concerts at Massey Hall.

Then she tilted her head and added, in a caricature of a hectoring maternal voice, "But then, all your songs are depressing."

Arden's propensity for making fun of herself, her bandmates, her mother, her career and even her mopey songs is what makes her so charming.

And it's the juxtaposition of that sharp, cynical wit with the fearlessly bared emotions in her songs that gives her work so much depth and sets her apart from other lonely heart singers.

Opening with a quietly sparse version of I Just Don't Love You Anymore, a vocal showcase from her first album, 1993's Time For Mercy, Arden set an easy, laid-back tone that lasted most of the evening.

She ran through nearly all the songs on her latest album, Love Is The Only Soldier -- from If You Loved Me through Ruby Red, The Right Road Home, Anna Rebecca and Not Saying Goodbye to the title track, which peaks with her belting out the high notes like Bronski Beat's Jimmy Somerville.

Interspersed with the new numbers were past hits like I Would Die For You, Wishing That and Waiting In Canada -- not to mention anecdotes about growing up in rural Alberta, a shot at Celine Dion and a very funny imitation of a phone call with her mother.

Accompanied by her stellar bunch of backup musicians -- guitarist and co-songwriter Russell Broom, keyboardist Darcy Phillips, percussionist Lyle Molzan and bassist Maury Lafoy, also of pop band The Supers -- Arden played around with the song arrangements, stripping many of the songs of their studio gloss and leaving lots of room for her voice to shine.

Arden's way of introducing the band members was to move from one to the next, telling embarrassing road stories about them and their habits before spotlighting each on often stunning accompaniments to familiar songs -- Lafoy's standup bass on Could I Be Your Girl, Phillips' gorgeous piano on I Would Die For You and Broom's guitar on Insensitive.

Later, they played a crowd-pleasing game of Stump The Band that featured ersatz versions of Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby, Blondie's Heart of Glass, George Jones' The Race Is On and AC/DC's Highway to Hell, as well as a filthy rewrite of the Eagles' Desperado -- to the delight of the adoring sell-out crowd.

Opener Emm Gryner came out onstage to join Arden on a couple of tunes, including Love Is The Only Soldier's Four Feet Deep, which they wrote together, and gracefully suffered some good-natured teasing herself.

If Arden ever wanted to switch to standup comedy, she would have another hit occupation on her hands.

But right now it's clear that her fans prefer to see her just where she is.

JAM! Rating: 3.5 out of 5