Randy VanWarmer, Dave Allen: Cellar Door, Washington DC

RANDY VANWARMER, who performed at the Cellar Door Saturday night, has an image problem. He is best known for last year's terminally mellow hit ballad 'Just When I Needed You Most', but his pulse lies elsewhere. His two most obvious tendencies — a fundamental gospel fervor frequently tinged with reggae insistence — even affected the singer's rendition of his hit. After a latter-day, Byrds-like 'Whatever You Decide', the rest of Vanwarmer's set shifted back and forth between influences without establishing a singular or distinctive flavor of its own.