Pop Music Reviews : Stewart at Vertigo: Who Is This Guy?

As the “other” half of Eurythmics, Dave Stewart would qualify for one of those you-don’t-know-me American Express ads. Now he has got his music-business version of a gold card: his own solo album and his own band, the Spiritual Cowboys, which played at Vertigo on Wednesday.

But even after hearing the record and seeing the show, the question remains: Who is this guy? Wednesday we learned about his heroes (mostly John Lennon, with some Bowie and Ray Davies and, more on the album than in concert, Leonard Cohen). We learned that he is a team player (he gladly shared the spotlight with members of the six-piece band). We learned about his odd fashion sense (his modified Mephistopheles beard wasn’t just for Halloween). We learned about his attention to detail and craft (but we already knew that from Eurythmics).

We also learned that despite his personal flashiness and bold track record when partnered with Annie Lennox, Stewart has a surprising penchant for restraint. Whether rock, ballad, soul or demi-funk, he and band tended to pull up short of really letting loose. It’s not totally inappropriate; there is a sweetly understated passion to Stewart’s best songs, notably the wistful “Soul Years” and “This Little Town” (the latter evoking Lennon’s “Walls and Bridges” and Davies’ “Waterloo Sunset”).

Much better, and much more revealing, though, were some sound-check warm-up numbers heard from outside the club before the doors opened. The band roared through Free’s “All Right Now,” Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” the Stones’ “It’s All Over Now” and Lennon’s “Instant Karma” with a fire that was missing from the show. Maybe there’s just more to learn about Stewart the fan than Stewart the artist.