Paul Kelly is an Australian who makes very American-style folk rock, mixing in bits of country and rockabilly for good measure. The results are unfailingly brisk and catchy, with lyrics that offer both detail and pathos.

On Kelly's third American album (following last year's excellent Under the Sun), there's barely a melody that doesn't sink in its hooks. Acoustic-based songs like "You Can't Take It With You" and "No You" are irresistible on first listen. Kelly's distinctively nasal vocals can seem earnest and sweet even when adding a wry aside. Unfortunately, cuts like "Most Wanted Man in the World," "She's a Melody (Stupid Song)" and several others are more clever slogans than character studies. And a track like "Cities of Texas" pretentiously overstates Kelly's connection to the United States (this is the first album Kelly recorded here).

Luckily, there are also tracks like "South of Germany" and "Sweet Guy," both of which find Kelly writing from a female point of view with remarkable assurance. Better yet is "Everything's Turning to White," a frightening tale drawn from a Raymond Carver short story in which a woman begins to identify with a corpse her husband discovered on a camping trip. If Kelly can produce more writing with this sort of detail and scope in the future, he'll make a crucial leap – from promising songwriter to artist of the first rank. (RS 564)

JIM FARBER