In a world of honed dance routines, sharpened midriffs and breathless hype, Gabrielle's continuing success is rather cheering. The closest the 34-year-old has come to controversy was when it emerged that she wore her fringe long to hide a lazy eye. Tonight, as she comes on stage clad in shades and a coffee-coloured overcoat, her ordinariness is her strength. She complains cheerfully about the size of her hips, cackles delightedly, dances badly and plays air guitar atrociously, flapping her right hand as if shaking off a bout of pins and needles.

Her voice is cracking, so she sips from a mug and apologises, finally falling to her knees in abasement. From most pop stars it would feel like the emptiest of gestures; from Gabrielle it seems charming and heartfelt.

This jovial sincerity means her limited lyrics (typically expressions of solidarity or accounts of crises from which characters emerge resolute and slightly tearful) swing by agreeably enough. But it can do nothing to lift the pace of a concert that is often pedestrian.

Since the jaunty pop-soul of Dreams launched her as a commercial force, Gabrielle has eased her way through middle-of-the-road arrangements, and while she occasionally dips her toes into something more exciting - Walk on By has a reggae interlude, while Latchkey Kid showcases what remains an impressive voice - most of her back catalogue ambles past wistfully, leaving your mind to wander.

Everyone stands up for the few upbeat numbers, or for songs from car adverts or hit movies, but even these engender only a gentle swaying. You leave the venue feeling a little guilty for not having enjoyed yourself as much as Gabrielle - who trots off instructing us to have a safe journey home - but it's hard to get excited about a lukewarm bath.

· At the Royal Court, Liverpool, tonight. Box office: 0151-709 4321. Then touring.