Downtown

RESTOCK. Not one to shy away from the taboo, Don Lennon leaps for the pop cultural jugular on his third full-length album DOWNTOWN. With such brow-raising subject matter as the Dave Matthews Band, John Cale, Lenny Kravitz, Bongwater (the group), rude foreign exchange students, the gay night-life scene, the Mekons, and the death of Dylan Thomas, Lennon finds himself in an especially adventurous mood lyrically. Musically, as well, the album is more diverse than his previous two releases (1997's MANIAC and 1999's DON LENNON), showcasing styles ranging from mournful country ballad to Frat Party Jam Band to Eastern European folk music. There's even room for a blaring Clarence Clemens-style sax solo. Fans of the Boston-based songwriter will not be disappointed with DOWNTOWN. His pop sensibility and stone-cold wit remain firmly intact. Comparisons have been made in the past to Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, Talking Heads and the Smiths.