A Lone Stone Rolls Into Town Monday

SAN DIEGO â€”  From the Jeff Beck Group to the Faces and on to the Rolling Stones, Ron Wood has been one of the best-connected guitarists in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The craggy-faced, rooster-coiffed Brit, who appears Monday night at the Rhythm Cafe, has always seemed to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to being a part of major-league rock groups.

Best known as a guitarist with the Stones, which he joined in 1975 to replace Mick Taylor, Wood is touring to support “Slide On This� (Continuum Records), his first solo effort in a decade.

The album stands as affirmation of a fact that many old-time rock fans have known for years: Wood is a vastly underrated musician, overshadowed and, to a degree, overlooked among the Stones for the more storied and tenured Keith Richards--not to mention Mick Jagger.

During a recent interview, Wood, 45, acknowledged that it’s been refreshing for him to come out from the long shadow cast by his more profiled partners.

“The space I’m in now is more adventurous for me,� he said. “I like the element of risk, where you do a song that perhaps you’d never done before, or dug one up from the past. There’s some good challenges there for me to remember. You’ve always got a little bit that doesn’t fit in somewhere (in the Stones). With this, I get to do a cross-section of some of the songs the Stones don’t normally do, like “Black Limousine,� and I get to do favorites like “Stay With Me� and “I’m Losing You� by the Faces.

“It’s nice and different for me to be up front there,� Wood said. “We’ve got a kicking band, actually.� Wood’s touring band includes Faces keyboardist Ian McLagen and Bonnie Raitt guitarist Johnny Lee Schell.

“It’s good to keep my chops together and make sure I promote this album, ‘cause it’s my best album I’ve done, I think.�

“Slide On This� superbly showcases Wood’s simple-but-eloquent guitar playing, particularly his clean, tasty slide work (ergo the album title). His lead vocals are a revelation, as well, more soulful, funky and convincing than would be expected from a man known primarily as an instrumentalist.

He’s joined on the album by a number of celebrated guest artists, including Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts, U2 guitarist The Edge, former Allman Brothers Band pianist Chuck Leavell and Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliot.

Much of the album’s mostly R&B-steeped; material was composed in synergy with vocalist/Stones associate Bernard Fowler, whom Wood credits as being a catalyst for resuming his solo career.

“I always had half-finished stuff, but I didn’t have a whole album’s worth of strong stuff,� Wood said. “It didn’t feel right before, but collaborating with Bernard, we had more than enough. Now, I can’t wait to do another album as soon as I next get the chance. I’ll probably collaborate with Bernard again. It’s a pretty successful collaboration I think. I don’t want to leave it so long (between solo albums) next time.�

Wood’s current road adventure is his first fully realized tour as a solo artist. As if to accentuate the discrepancy between his own visibility and that of Jagger and Richards, the tour is mostly booked in mid-sized theaters and nightclubs, but Wood said he relishes the opportunity to play smaller venues for a change.

“I love to get away and play the opposite end of the scale,� he said. “I really like to play the clubs--we’ve had some good shows so far. I don’t mind (playing arenas), but I welcome the change, as opposed to always playing the mega-places. And traveling on a bus as well--I haven’t done that in years.

If Wood seems passionate about resuming his solo career, he maintained that his enthusiasm doesn’t come at the expense of his work with the Stones, which he described as “totally into the music again.� With recent solo projects from Wood, Richards and Watts on the market, and another on the way from Jagger, he views the side ventures as healthy outlets for their respective talents that might not have had a chance to surface under the Stones’ more defined umbrella.

“I think they (solo projects) help to keep everyone on their toes,� Wood said. “It keeps you fresh. And, when the Stones get back together in March to write the new album, we’ll all be ahead of the game. It gives you a chance to enhance the different directions you can go in, have a little freedom before we get back into the Stones grindstone.�

But Wood vowed that, from now on, he won’t be idle when the Stones are on their frequent sabbaticals. He’s developed a taste for recognition in his own right and seems determined to press forward.

“I’m always up for new ideas and open to new suggestions,� he said. “I just enjoy playing all the time, y’know?�

Ron Wood will appear Monday night at the Rhythm Cafe, 8022 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Opening will be Immaculate Fools. Tickets, available through Ticketmaster, are $27.50 advance, $28.50 the day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.