Crunching hard rock is the drivin' part, brittle countryish balladry the cryin', with the two linked by a heavy dose of Led Zeppelinphilia. If Paul Westerberg had grown up worshiping Angus Young instead of Alex Chilton, the Replacements might sound something like this youthful Atlanta trio. On the 1986 indie debut of Drivin' n' Cryin', Scarred but Smarter, the eclecticism made for an enthralling spin through the tastes of three children of the Seventies. The same blend is intact on this follow-up, from the AC/DC stomp of "Powerhouse" to the mandolin-decorated delicacy of the acoustic Zeppelin tribute "On a Clear Daze."

But in the hands of Anton Fier, who produced Whisper Tames the Lion, electicism borders on schizophrenia. Rather than let singer-guitarist Kevn Kinney, bassist-mandolinist Tim Nielsen and drummer Jeff Sullivan handle everything themselves – as they proved they could on their debut – Fier can't resist the temptation to play drums himself or to bring in other heavyweights, like Bernie Worrell on keyboards. Compounding Fier's mistake, his application of outside elements isn't very imaginative. Fortunately, not even Fier's heavy hand is enough to bury the vision and spirit of this powerful trio. (RS 530-531)

STEVE HOCHMAN