Despite a promising 1990 bow, John Doe"s solo career has taken a back seat to his fanning the dying embers of his landmark L.A. punk-era band, X, along with his fitful stabs at an acting career. After veering from his country-rooted debut to the harder-edged Kissingsohard, Doe now returns to explore the fruitful singer-songwriter incarnation that surfaced on 2000"s Freedom Is.... Though studded with strangely muted star duets (Juliana Hatfield on "Closet of Dreams" and "Still You"; Aimee Mann on "This Far"; "Forever for You" with Jane Wiedlin; Jakob Dylan on "Magic"), Doe"s songs shine brightest when he clears away the murky contemporary production touches and simply lets his voice and guitar cut to the heart of the matter. "7 Holes," "Faraway (from the North County)," and "Still You" showcase a warm, lilting voice and melodic sense that recall nothing less than early Gordon Lightfoot. Doe still seems like he hasn"t quite found himself here, which may well be the point. But he soars when he stops worrying his roots and straining at self-invention, as in the lovely, McCartney-esque "Employee of the Month" and the dreamy, romantic squalor of "Always." --Jerry McCulley