HAY: MAN AT REST

When he was leading Australia’s Men at Work, singer-composer Colin Hay quickly scored a fistful of Top 10 hits--an inappropriate reward for his bland, derivative music and vocal resemblance to Sting. Now that Hay is pursuing a solo career, those drawbacks are looming even larger, judging by his show Friday at the Whisky.

Hay seems to have decided that if Sting isn’t going to do the Police anymore, he will. Hay fronted a trio that dispensed polyrhythmic pop and locked into thicker reggae grooves than Men at Work tried. This approach won’t exactly help him beat the derivative rap. Indeed, one “new” tune seemed like a direct cop of the Police’s “Message in a Bottle.”

Hay (who’s scheduled to play the Lingerie this Friday) has compounded his lack of originality by opting for the trio format. Songs--old and new--that demand more instrumental color simply don’t get it. This limitation was painfully obvious when the Tull-ish flute parts of “Down Under” were handled by the bass player . For now, Hay’s solo venture recalls another Men at Work hit: “It’s a Mistake.”