*** PJ Olsson

WORDS FOR LIVING

(C2/Columbia)

If he weren't such a positive-minded songwriter, PJ Olsson could be compared to Nick Drake. But the Michigan-bred Olsson isn't that ethereal, delicate, sorrowful thing that can stop you in your tracks, the way Drake was (and there's no reason he should be, except modern music needs more Drake types and fewer catchy pop Olsson types). Still, if Words for Living is any indication, Olsson is also superlative, especially when it comes to production and arrangements. He does come off as a product of latter-day pop culture and middle-class comfort: his songs are wry and heavily soused in dance beats, and they offer both more concerns and a sunnier disposition than the average young American. And simple lyrics prevent intriguingly adorned songs like "I Am the Sun" from hitting the mark of genius. The catchy, Beck-styled R&B number "Through Rock Songs" laughs at taking oneself seriously; "Visine" laughs at pop and consumer culture. Olsson's words are made for intelligent suburban living, and in that sense he's hit his mark.

-- Linda Laban