POP/ROCK
John Mayer, "Battle Studies" (Columbia)
If the black-and-white cover photo, showing Mayer pulling at the collar of a thick winter coat, seems Morrissey-esque, that's no coincidence -- in themes and tone, Mayer shows a lot in common with the great romantic fatalist of '80s Britpop: He's "Perfectly Lonely" in the song with that title, and he opens the collection with "Heartbreak Warfare," about the ways we hurt the ones we ostensibly love. Musically, he explores the moody territory of acts such as Coldplay and Snow Patrol; at the same time, he displays his debt to guitar heroes including David Gilmour, Eric Clapton and George Harrison. For the most part, he expresses himself more eloquently through his guitar than his lyrics in the 10 of 11 songs he wrote. (Intriguingly, his version of Robert Johnson's blues classic "Crossroads" puts Clapton's signature riff through effects processing that leaves it sounding like a keyboard.) "Assassin" stretches the metaphor of a stealth killer too far, while "War of My Life" sets foot on U2's turf -- without the soul-deep passion of the Irish rockers. That deficit leaves many of the songs strangely uninvolving, despite the beauty of his melodies and empathetic production that he and drummer Steve Jordan have given them.
RANDY LEWIS, LOS ANGELES TIMES
HIP-HOP
Wyclef Jean, "From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion" (Carnival House/Megaforce/Sony)
In the second track of his latest album, Wyclef Jean relates the tale of an autograph-seeking fan mistaking him for Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am. It's an interesting illustration of how far below the radar the former Fugees frontman has fallen. Partnering with mix-tape master DJ Drama, Jean seems determined to change that. Here, he introduces his Toussaint St. Jean alter ego, inspired by Haitian liberator Toussaint L'Ouverture. Childhood anecdotes about receiving his first pair of shoes and the crushing poverty in Haiti ("Warrior's Anthem") provide a gritty poignancy he'd lacked since going pop. "Toussaint Vs. Bishop" and "Letter from the Penn " triumph, thanks to Jean's sincerity. The collection is not without its missteps: The M.I.A.-aping "Slumdog Millionaire" enlists Cyndi Lauper for hook duty and bafflingly lets her construct her own hood mythology. But overall, this amounts to a successful resurrection.
JEFF WEISS, LOS ANGELES TIMES
