Black Crowes' Robinson flies solo

It's not the new haircut (though his hair is easily the shortest it's been since he became famous) nor the early hours he's keeping (a decidedly un-rocklike 8:30 set time).

Robinson has grown up and become remarkably comfortable in his own skin. The singer best known for fronting the Black Crowes delivers a dynamic and diverse set that proves passion, soul, and a deftness with the varied styles that have influenced him.

Robinson is a far cry from the whirling dervish that led the Black Crowes to international acclaim. As he Settles in behind an acoustic guitar, his declaration, ''My body's weak but my mind is strong,'' sets an immediate tone of lyrical retrospection.

He does address his past. The Dylanesque ''Last of the Old Time Train Robbers'' carried the admonition, ''When it's all over, split the money and go your own way.'' The song served as an adequate assessment of the current Black Crowes situation.

With the Crowes, top-notch guitar slingers surrounded Robinson, and, wisely, he has not abandoned that concept. His own guitar pickings, while sometimes rudimentary but often surprisingly fresh, are always suited to his material.

His sole sideman, Paul Stacey (best known for production work with Oasis) is a marvel. Stacey's tastefully fragile playing on a gorgeous cover of the Grateful Dead's ''Comes a Time'' is one of many highlights from the English slide guitar wizard.

Robinson's choice of cover material, including Ray Charles, Badfinger, and Bob Dylan, while in concert speaks volumes to his musical acumen, but more impressive is the singer's ability to incorporate those influences into his own material.

''Sunday Sound,'' a rambling country-gospel-influenced number, would have been at home among The Band's ''Basement Tapes,'' while the dreamy acoustic psychedelia of ''Kissing Magik Horses'' recalled Led Zeppelin's ''Houses of the Holy,'' but with a thoroughly contemporary swagger supplied by Stacey.

Perhaps therein lies the promise of Robinson as a solo artist. If the Black Crowes were all too frequently dismissed for solely mining retro sources, Robinson's solo material manages to combine classic-rock stylings with a current state of mind.

When enhanced by a full band, which Robinson promised for an autumn outing, the results could leave fans happily surprised by what this frontman was keeping to himself for all those years.