LONDON -- An ultra-dynamic pop music duo doubled the pleasure of the 4,000 people attending last night's concert at the John Labatt Centre.

In the entertaining process, reigning superstar Jann Arden and rising star Emm Gryner demonstrated why they're ranked among Canada's elite singer-songwriters.

Headliner Arden's show got rolling with Only One from Love is the Only Soldier, which doubles as the title of her latest CD and the name of the current five-week national tour, ending in Newfoundland Feb. 17.

The Alberta native also did older material, such as Waiting In Canada, Wishing That and other numbers from an arsenal one reviewer defined as her "brand of adult-contemporary heartache pop."

Amid the melancholic songs about love, loss, emotional pain and loneliness, Arden showed off a sardonic sense of humour and deadpan delivery that most stand-up comedians would envy.

"The choreography is all new," quipped Arden, spoofing the stage poses of rock stars.

She amused the crowd by satirizing the four members of her solid backup band and telling irreverent anecdotes about her childhood days in Spring Bank, Alta., alias "Sperm Bank."

Arden also felt free to do a "stump the band" segment, since, she said, the local music critics had already left the concert: "They can only stay for the first three songs."

The glitz-free anti-diva in the plain black suit depends on her appealing voice, which she applied to a medley of her hits, including Could I Be Your Girl, I Would Die For You and Insensitive.

One of the evening's highlights was when Arden and Gryner joined voices on the lilting Four Feet Deep, which they co-wrote as Love is the Only Soldier's first single.

The London visit was a homecoming for Gryner, a 28-year-old Sarnia native who grew up in Forest and attended Fanshawe College's music industry arts program.

Gryner's simple solo set showcased her voice and artistry on acoustic guitar, but, more especially, on electric piano.

Several of the tunes were derived from Asianblue, the CD that drew a 2002 Juno Award nomination as best pop album.

That prize, Gryner noted, was wrested from her by "a crusty young tart named Avril Lavigne."

On her songlist were Northern Holiday, which she penned while on tour with David Bowie, and homesick for Canada; Symphonic, about a friend worth remembering; and an anger-laden number titled This Mad.

The singer then dedicated Breaking News, a plaintive tune yet to be recorded, to her parents who were in the audience and ended the 30-minute set with a hymn-like spin on The Clash's hit, Straight To Hell, from her very successful CD Girl Versions.

Gryner's straight-from-the-heart tunes showed off her throaty vocal style that, though powerfully passionate, remains accessible and vulnerable.

"I know my job as the opening act. I'm there to do a few songs and warm up the crowd for Jann," the singer explained in a recent Free Press interview.

She accomplished that mission seamlessly before surrendering the stage to her friend/collaborator Arden and the warmth of their efforts melted the sub-zero cold of January's final night.

The tandem's tour includes today's stop in Kitchener's The Centre In The Square; the Chrysler Theatre in Windsor tomorrow and Wednesday's launching of a four-day stay at Massey Hall, Toronto.

They'll take with them the endorsement of the satisfied customers in Labatt Centre's sold-out RBC Theatre.