Multitalented Lowe proves quite a character

The real Nick Lowe could very well be a kind, caring, and generous individual. He may love children, puppies, and helping old ladies across the street. The man on stage, though, is a different sort. That bloke is ruthless, and borderline sadistic, a white-haired dandy who stalks his helpless, hapless prey.

"All men are liars," Lowe sang midway through a short (80 minutes) but nearly perfect set Friday night at the Somerville Theatre. And then he explained his warning with one of his newest songs, the darkly comic "I Trained Her To Love Me," in which the narrator prowls for each unsuspecting victim in a never-ending quest to get back at "womankind."

But who are these women, and what have they done? It's not clear, but the gentleman with the guitar certainly holds a grudge. This character - and let us hope he's just that - is central to Lowe's last decade of work. Best known for his one pop hit (1979's "Cruel to Be Kind"), the London-based songwriter has spent the better part of a decade honing his current style. As a musician, he relies on the best of Americana, mashing soul, country, and rock. As a storyteller, he turns to one of the great characters of literature, the self-loathing, two-timing rascal, a kind of aging version of J.P. Donleavy's "Ginger Man."

What makes everything work is Lowe's talent, both as a singer and songwriter. Dressed in a white, buttoned-down shirt and a long pair of black slacks Friday night, Lowe reeled off 22 songs during this solo appearance, offering generous doses of his new album, "At My Age," and a healthy sampling of work stretching back into the '70s. At 58, he still has a young man's voice, and knows how to control it, whether leaning into the microphone to register barely above a whisper on "The Beast in Me" or grooving through the rockabilly-styled "Soulful Wind." He turned "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding," made famous by Elvis Costello, into a midtempo ballad; the all-too-familiar tune offered a certain freshness, and added resonance, in its simplicity.

Ron Sexsmith, the baby-faced Canadian singer with a rich catalog of achy folk rock, opened with a well-crafted set, and joined Lowe for an inspired encore of the Louvin Brothers song, "My Baby's Gone."

Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com.