I first saw Irene Sage in Irene and the Mikes, where once a week at Checkpoint Charlie’s she was a blues-rock mama fronting an almost anachronistic Big Brother and the Holding Company-esque band.

On the Anders Osborne-produced Come On In, the blues-rocker is clearly present on the title cut and “Dig Down Low,” but years of solo work have broadened her reach. Her blues are jazzier on “Blue Temple” and “Imagine That,” and the album ends with a series of quiet, folky ballads culminating with the lullaby, “Close Your Eyes.”

Players like John Gros, Sally Townes, Jason Mingledorff, Coco Robicheaux and Osborne himself (on one song) back Sage up, so the results are as solid and tasteful as you might expect. No one forgets whose record this is, so the focal point remains Sage throughout, and for most part the album showcases her husky voice well. “Dig Down Low” tests her limits, but throughout she’s soulful, and on the album’s most complete song, the rocking “Total Devotion,” she sounds smokey, confident and sexy.

Years ago, I wondered if she was really a blues singer or if she liked playing one in Decatur Street bars; here I’m inclined to think she has become one, but it’s entirely possible she’s become better at playing the part. When the songs sound personal, she’s convincing, but when the songs sound like good blues songs, the question remains open.

Come On In largely renders the issue moot though because the disc is fun though not essential, and it certainly gives me a reason to keep paying attention.