Even closing in on 40, the ever-flirtatious Susanna Hoffs can break every male heart in a room. And while the former Bangle boasts a pop-perfect little-girl voice and a keen feel for catchy hooks, it was her wide, dark eyes that held hostage the guy-dominated crowd at the Bayou Wednesday night.

\\Dressed in a snug, colorful mini-dress and black leather knee-high boots, the diminutive Hoffs bounced onstage to the tune of Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" (Do you think she knows she's cute?) Obviously affected by the beyond-adorable singer's smattering of giggles, grins, and waves, several lonely, doughy guys, each dressed in a baseball or hockey jersey, emerged from the shadows and inched closer to the stage. Amazingly, Hoffs neither backed away nor motioned for mace; instead, she grew an even bigger smile and led her four-piece backing band into a rootsy cover of the Lightning Seeds' "All I Want," the first single from her new album.

\\Hoffs also seemed all too aware that much of her power of male persuasion stems from her '80s heyday, so for every new song (the Gabriel Garcia Marquez tribute "Enormous Wings," the bouncy rag of "King of Tragedy"), there was a nostalgia-evoking sing-along (the Prince-penned "Manic Monday," and "If She Knew What She Wants," which Hoffs performed alone on acoustic guitar).

\\"Since we're walking down memory lane, we might as well keep going," Hoffs said before tearing through "Hazy Shade of Winter" (during which her band completely overpowered her breathy vocals), "Hero Takes a Fall," and "Walk Like an Egyptian." (Hoffs now performs the latter hit completely tongue-in-cheek, breaking mid-song to offer up an elevator-music version. When it came time for her to sing the final chorus a cappella, she busted up, giggling, "I'm too shy. I can't do it!")

\\Over the course of two, brief encores, Hoffs offered an ill-advised "Eternal Flame" (there's one that should stay in the '80s), then concluded with a cheeky "To Sir With Love," a song perfectly suited to her talents and "crayons to perfume" pe