Adam's Apple
John Wesley Harding is well into his second decade as a recording artist. As a literate but no longer new voice, he's no longer major-label material. Indeed, the well-traveled Brit who was once heralded as the heir toElvis Costellohas been hopping from indie to indie since he parted ways with Sire in the early '90s. So one wouldn't be shocked if his first new collection in four years felt like an exhausted last breath of a frustrated journeyman. But from the first notes of the cascading opener, "Nothing at All," it's apparent that Harding has, if anything, become more adept at mating sharp, witty wordplay (always his forte) with surging power pop. This time out, he's managed to pull together more than a fair share of alluring melodies and fitting folk-rock arrangements. Whether it's the jangling, spirit-affirming "Sleeper Awake" ("Get out of your bed/ Quit playing dead") or the O. Henry-like murder ballad "Sussex Ghost Story," Harding proves he's still going strong at a stage when it wouldn't be surprising if he was running out of gas.--Steven Stolder