POP MUSIC REVIEWS : From Monster to a Quiet Charmer : After His Too-Slow Opening, Winwood Wins Over Audience

If you’re going to see Steve Winwood tonight at the Universal Amphitheatre, here’s some advice: Don’t worry if you’re a little late.

Have a nice dinner. Take the dog for a walk. Pet the cats. Maybe even do a few errands.

There’s little in the opening third of Winwood’s 2-hour set that will remain in the memory bank--at least there wasn’t Sunday night at the Pacific Amphitheatre, where the veteran British singer and keyboard/guitarist made his first local appearance in nearly two years.

Winwood is an exquisite vocalist with a strong sense of artistic integrity, but he’s not a compelling performer.

The problem on stage isn’t that he’s reluctant or withdrawn. Looking eternally youthful, Winwood (who is 40, but could pass for 30) seemed to be enjoying himself Sunday. He wore a stylish outfit--white shirt and shoes, gray pants and suspenders--and spoke to the audience frequently between songs.

But the man’s not dynamic.

For all the sweet evocativeness in his voice, Winwood tends, in both manner and singing style, to be understated. At times during the show’s early moments, the action more resembled the steady, slow progression of a recording session than the focus and spark associated with a concert. You kept waiting for Winwood to cut loose in a way that defined the moment.

While he is not alone among top record sellers in suffering from a lack of fire and apparent spontaneity on stage, the absence of these traits is especially noticeable in Winwood’s case because there is such a soulful edge to his work. He, invariably, must be measured against the energy and passion of an Al Green or Otis Redding or the unexpected vocal wrinkle of a Ray Charles, Van Morrison or Joe Cocker.

To come alive on stage, Winwood needs outstanding material and/or energy from the audience. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of outstanding material on his new album.

There is such a slick, anonymous tone to tunes like “Put On Your Dancing Shoes” and “Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do” that you aren’t much interested in following the instructions (in one case) or framing an answer (in the other).

About eight numbers into the show, however, Winwood, backed by a snappy, disciplined band, stepped away from the lackluster new material and a few other ‘80s recordings to revive a number from his Traffic days--”Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”--and the result was remarkable.

Traffic was one of rock’s most original and inventive groups, one that dealt in the late-’60s and early-’70s in a classy and classic blend of musical styles. Seated at the keyboards, Winwood responded to the more challenging and interesting elements in “Spark” with a vocal that was so rich in character and feeling that it was almost chilling.

Winwood kept the momentum going with “I’m a Man,” a driving, bluesy hit from his even earlier, teen-age days with the Spencer Davis Group.

While these oldies helped add punch to the show, he soon demonstrated that he can be equally effective on interesting new material.

The dance-oriented “Roll With It,” the title song from the new album and currently the nation’s best-selling single, is a masterful combination of the sensual, horn-accented heat of ‘60s Memphis R & B and the more fluid, but equally seductive Motown sound of the same era.

With the audience on its feet, Winwood moved to the front edge of the stage and seemed to feed on the energy--both singing and moving with more vitality.

Soon after, he shifted to the gentler, spiritual-tinged “Higher Love,” the song that helped him win a Grammy in 1986 for record of the year. There was such a graceful, artful edge to Winwood’s vocal that the matter of “dynamics” was no longer an issue. With the crowd on his side and armed with quality material, he was simply captivating--a picture of artistry at work.

In some ways, the show was a summary of Winwood’s own lengthy pop career, which has moved from lengthy droughts to amazing creative periods. He’s apparently a fragile talent but a survivor capable of extraordinary feeling.

However commonplace the start of the show, the highlights were enough to justify some additional advice: Winwood (who is at the Amphitheatre through Friday) is probably never going to be an electrifying performer, but he can be an absorbing artist. This is a show worth seeing.

Winwood is joined on this tour by Johnny Clegg and Savuka, an integrated group of South African musicians whose tunes combine social comment and a trace of the infectious, carnival-tinged lilt that Paul Simon and crew helped popularize on their “Graceland” tour. While appealing, Clegg--who brightens his performances with flashy dance steps--lacks the lyric depth and melodic sophistication of Simon’s music.