Few albums these days begin with a minute of moody strumming and picking on acoustic guitar, but Chris Stills is perfectly content to kick it old-school style. This debut by the 23-year-old son of Stephen Stills is replete with musical and verbal evocations of dad's legendary combo, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The multilayered harmonies, melodic loveliness and hippie transcendentalism ("In the end, you know, we're all gonna die/That's all right") all ring familiar.

But 100 Year Thing isn't merely Déjà Vu all over again. Stills is a singer, songwriter and guitarist of impressive skill, and these 13 tunes come across on their own eloquent terms. Songs such as the title track and "Lucifer and Jane" are tales of wanderlust and identity quest that are neither jaded nor sappy. He does occasionally misstep – unfortunate images like "those razor blades of time" crop up far too often. But Stills derives from sturdy stock, and those razor blades notwithstanding, 100 Year Thing is built to stand time's test. (RS 779)

ANTHONY DECURTIS