Neil Finn - One All

The Crowded House isn't so crowded anymore now that frontman Neil Finn is out on his own, but that doesn't mean the Kiwi tunesmith has given up on a simple pop melody. On his second solo outing, Finn offers plaintive love songs like "Wherever You Are," flashes Morrissey-inspired wit on "Last to Know" ("I'll end up under a bus / With my fingers crossed") and even taps into swirly Oasis guitar territory on "Rest of the Day." The missteps are few, like the Radiohead-y techno reinvention alongside former Prince protégés Wendy and Lisa on "Secret God." A very Finn, er, fine offering.

B+