Talk about having a full life. Rod Stewart has five childrenby three women. He has made more than 20 albums, many of thembest-sellers. He's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And he ownsseveral homes around the world, including one in Palm Beach, Fla.,from where he recently telephoned on a beautiful, 85-degree day.
"Life is good. It couldn't be better," said Stewart, who hopesto have a sixth child, the third one with his wife, actress-modelRachel Hunter.
Here's the biggest news for his fans, though: Stewart, 53, isrocking again. His current tour pulls into the New World MusicTheatre on Sunday.
His latest album, "When We Were the New Boys," looks to thepresent through cover versions of songs by modern bands such asOasis, Superstar and Primal Scream. But it also comes full circle toStewart's ear-crunching roots in the Faces, the early British bandthat raised rowdy blues-rock and hotel-room trashing to art forms.
"Yeah, it didn't cost any money then," Stewart says of theband's room-wrecking sprees. "We'd always find some sort of humbleexcuses like `I'm sorry, I slipped and the television went into theswimming pool.' But nowadays, you can't get away with it quite soeasily. You have to put your credit card down before you check in."
In the early '70s, the Faces would also sign into hotels asmembers of Fleetwood Mac. "Both bands weren't particularlywell-known then. And people in the middle of America would fall forit," Stewart said.
The new album likewise aims to recapture some of the feel of hiswell-liked solo disc "Every Picture Tells a Story" (1973), whichcontained the No. 1 hit "Maggie May."
"Maybe we captured the spirit of it, but the playing is morepolished," Stewart said. "This is not a sloppy album, and `EveryPicture Tells a Story' was a sloppy album, which was half of itsappeal. I don't think this one is sloppy, though. It's reallywell-played."
To accomplish that, he enlisted two new and excellent guitaristsin Oliver Leiber (son of Elvis Presley songwriter Jerry Leiber) andJohn Shanks, whom he said he "stole" from Melissa Etheridge's band.
"This is the first time I've had two American guitarists," hesaid. "I think there's some of the best guitar work on this albumthan on anything since I was with Jeff Beck."
As good as his band is, Stewart sounds even better. His versionof Nick Lowe's "Shelly My Love" is a wonder, with Stewart's voiceclimbing into falsetto with an ease and finesse that would shame asinger half his age, while "Rocks" finds him spitting lyrics with thevigor of one who believes every word of the "Get your rocks off"chorus. The guy sounds as good as he ever has.
"Believe it or not, I'm a lot fitter now than I was, I'd say, 15years ago," he says, adding that he owes much of his vocal vitalityto the earpiece-style monitors he has been using onstage. Looking abit like a pair of hearing aids, these tiny wireless headphones letsingers hear what they're doing no matter how loud the band is.
"I think I would have had to have stopped singing 10 years agoif I hadn't started using these things," says Stewart. "I waspunishing my voice so much, because I couldn't hear myself.
"So because I don't have to put so much energy in trying to getmy voice above the band, I seem to have a lot more energy to put intothe show, and I seem to have more range in the voice than I've everdone. I mean, I think the voice on this album sounds incredible.
"If I say so myself," he says, and laughs. "But it's true. Thevoice, it just gets better and better."
The new record was first conceived as a disc of songs bycontemporary tunesmiths.
Stewart found himself at home with Oasis' "Cigarettes andAlcohol" (a Faceslike tune from a band Stewart calls "self-acclaimedFaces fans"), Primal Scream's "Rocks" (a boogie track with sax), andGraham Parker's "Hotel Chambermaid" (from Parker's overlooked "HeatTreatment" album). Stewart added a few ballads (Lowe's "Shelly MyLove," Skunk Anansie's "Weak," and, at the urging of Elvis Costello,Ron Sexsmith's "Secret Heart").
To these, Stewart added a new version of the Faces song "Ooh LaLa" (with the Dylanesque verse, "I wish I knew what I know now when Iwas younger") and a new original track, "When We Were the New Boys,"about the "sweet memories" of Stewart's days in secondary school innorth London when "we held our glasses high and we dared to reach forthe sky."
Stewart dared to reach high after a non-musical career start.
"I was a professional footballer," he said of his soccer days."About the same time, as I left school I started to understand musicand started to listen to more of it. I did a spot of gravediggingand then went straight into music."
And he still fondly recalls the Faces. His new version of "OohLa La," which has been released as a single, is a tribute to itssongwriter, Ronnie Lane of the Faces, who died in the past year.
"Obviously there are some wonderful memories of the Faces days,"he said. "But the band really fell apart when Ronnie Lane left. Hewas the heart of the group, although Ronnie Wood (now with theRolling Stones) and I got most of the attention. But Ronnie Lane wasreally the engine of the band."
There are enough rock tracks on the new album to suggest thatStewart may finally get some up-tempo airplay and "stop the flow ofall the ballads" he has had in the last few years.
The new album reclaims his turf as a rocker, compared with theadult-contemporary mode he has been in.
These days, Stewart also is not pandering to anyone. Hisconfidence has risen - and so has his sense of playfulness. He evendelayed his tour to attend the World Cup soccer tournament in France.
And, after his summer tour, Stewart plans another "Unplugged"album with longtime buddy Wood, though he'll continue to keep hisears open for his next musical move.
"The kids keep me tuned in as well. They listen to a lot ofmusic," Stewart said of his offspring, who range from 3 years old to18. "But I'm just going to keep singing and doing what I want todo."
Need we add that some guys have all the luck?
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