Critics wonder why Stewart so thoroughly betrayed his considerable talent

 Rod Stewart used to be cool. Now he's "hot."

 The Encyclopedia of Rock says this: "Cover versions and new material alike showed Stewart's enormous creativity and fully exploited merits of his gravelly vocals."

 This is 1972, a year after he releases Maggie May, his greatest and most definitive hit. The London-born singer works with such people as Long John Baldry, Reginald Dwight (aka Elton John), Jeff Beck, Mick Fleetwood and Ron Wood. The Faces, for which Stewart sang and Wood played guitar, is one of the top concert attractions. Stewart's early solo work is described as "outstanding."

 A rock 'n' roll legend is born.

 With this in mind, I saw Rod Stewart live for the first time in 1993 at the then-Coliseum. It was a Christmas show. The crowd was a sea of grey hair. Minivans dominated the parking lot. At showtime, a huge be-ribboned box fell apart to reveal a blonde, elfin figure perched on a revolving stool like some satin-draped Christmas ornament. It was his Unplugged ... And Seated tour. And so Rod remained seated. The crowd was similarly not brought to its feet as the strains of the opening song Hot Legs filled the arena - backed by an 18-piece orchestra.

 What happened? At what point did Rod the Mod go from one of the most vital figures in rock 'n' roll to being the modern-day Barry Manilow preening and posing in one greatest hits revue after another? As music critic Griel Marcus put it, "Rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely." Get in line behind Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson.

 "All the hits" are what's promised for Stewart's show in Skyreach Centre on Sunday. This presumably includes the 54-year-old star's biggest hit of all: the increasingly embarrassing but undeniably catchy Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

 The Worst Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time (a great book for those who appreciate bad music) says this: "Once upon a time, Rod Stewart didn't have to ask whether we thought he was sexy. In the early '70s, Stewart was that rare superstar whose commitment to his music rivaled his yearning for stardom ... Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? was a crass grab for a place in the new pop world. If disco was going to be what sold, Rod wanted to be part of it. Stewart could not possibly have fashioned a lamer entry in the disco sweepstakes ...." The song is No. 35 of the 50 "worst rock 'n' roll singles of all time."

 (But it's not all Rod's fault. He admitted he inadvertently plagiarized the melody from Brazillian singer Jorge Benjor's song, Taj Mahal. Rod told reporters, "I was in Brazil and that song stuck in my head but I didn't copy it on purpose. I was with Elton John and we drank too much. I remember almost nothing from that trip." Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? royalties are now donated to UNICEF.)

 The thing is, critics want to like what he does. It's not Rod's fault that he's held to higher standards than, say, Billy Joel. Although the ongoing quality of Stewart's music seems inversely proportional to the number of blond models he's bedded (he recently separated from his wife, Rachel Hunter), few can deny his power as a showman.

 As for his more recent albums, reviews are filled with faint praise and desperate rationalizations. "Hints" of the "old" Rod can always be heard. His latest album is no different. When We Were the New Boys is ironic for its very concept. Stewart got his start as a young man covering music written by old men like Chuck Berry and Sam Cooke. Now he's an old man covering songs written by young people like Oasis and Ron Sexsmith. Even so, the album sounds closer to Faces-era Rod than anything he's done in years.

 On the title, he told The Toronto Sun, "The title's been around for quite some time. I just wanted to find the right vehicle for it and the right album for it. It's all about when I first started getting into bands and the period where I sort of left school, and first jobs; it's all about the early '60s."

 That would be when a young man of Scottish ancestry worked as a gravedigger, a fence-maker and, briefly, as a professional soccer player before quitting his day jobs for good. Music (and soccer, of course) is his life, and according to a review of his March 27 concert in Hamilton, Rod is still knows how to deliver a show: "Those legs are still pretty hot."

 Opening song? You guessed it - Hot Legs.