Imagine the customary charms of a Nick Lowe album – endearingly trashy tunes, solid ensemble playing, witty lyrics, spirited singing–and you'll have a fair idea of the virtues of Paul Carrack's wholly pleasing solo debut LP. Carrack, the keyboardist-vocalist who crooned "How Long" for Ace and "Tempted" for Squeeze, has a strong, supple tenor that infuses Suburban Voodoo's twelve tracks with the cheery passion that's always been the hallmark of Anglo pop-rock.

Things don't all go smoothly, of course. Lowe, who's never produced anyone with Carrack's vocal prowess, lets the orchestrations get a tad fulsome at times: note the honky-funk of the Squeeze song, "Out of Touch." But Carrack fields such Lowe throwaways as "What a Way to Go" and the "My Girl"-influenced "I Need You" with a sass that highlights the melodies without losing the cleverness of the words ("You're gonna be/The death of me/But what a way to go"). Carrack's own "Lesson in Love" and "Don't Give My Heart a Break" are amiable romps, while "Always Better with You," a rollicking ode to good times, should incite even the most sedentary among us to tap a toe or two. Cut for cut, Suburban Voodoo is one of the brightest debuts of the year. (RS 377)

CHRISTOPHER CONNELLY