ALBUM REVIEW: Stewart a true ringmaster of talent

Perhaps better known for his work with other artists than his solo output, Dave Stewart�??s been a music business workhorse.

He�??s probably best known as the writer/producer/musical figurehead behind Annie Lennox�??s voice in the Eurythmics. Stewart�??s also famously penned Tom Petty�??s 1985 hit �??Don�??t Come Around Here No More�?� among many others, and shadowed mid-career guidance to artists like Bono and Jon Bon Jovi - Stewart�??s gift for musical direction is unparalleled.

Here, he balances powerful guest spots with his own mostly blue-eyed soul vision to present a veritable resume of sonic craftsmanship.

From Joss Stone�??s reckless testifying on the bombastic �??I Got Love,�?� to the warmth and whispered glow of the Allison Krauss duet �??Drowning In The Blues,�?� Stewart melds his personal tastes to the abilities of his collaborators with precision and inventiveness.

Look no further for evidence of this than on the Orianthi-accompanied cut, �??Girl In A Catsuit,�?� where Stewart�??s penchant for easygoing, mid-tempo grooves collides in a deliciously violent discharge with the young shredder�??s stratospheric guitar licks.

Stewart�??s no slouch sans big-name accompaniment. His gentile solo-piano ballad �??You Took My Love�?� aches with the same heartsick quality that made Bob Dylan�??s �??Time Out of Mind�?� so memorably love-scarred. His tongue-in-cheek �??New Song For Nashville�?� takes on the lack of whisky-hearted substance in contemporary Country music (�??I like the way I�??m feeling here, kind of goes with my tattoos�?�).

Getting by with a little help from his friends but still able to steal the spotlight, Dave Stewart proves why he�??s one of the most talented of musical chameleons.

RATING: W W W W Dave Stewart �??The Ringmaster General�?? - Mark Uricheck, Weekender Correspondent