*** The John Doe Thing

FOR THE REST OF US

(Kill Rock Stars)

Having thrown off the shackles of major-label oppression -- methinks he got dropped for lack of album sales -- our hero reconnects with the kind of visceral rock thrills that made him our hero in the first place on this, a wonderfully scruffy five-song EP. As X-man John Doe puts it in the disc's almost illegibly scrawled liner notes, "Here's what happens when nobody's breathing down yr neck as recording goes down. Freedom & making things for beauty or ugliness sake is a great way to go." Yes, it is. Doe (and the rest of X) apparently lost sight of that for a time (particularly on his blandly overproduced Geffen solo debut, Meet John Doe), which is part of what makes this gritty return from country gentleman to rock scoundrel so refreshing. Recorded with Beck sidemen Smokey Hormel (guitar) and Joey Waronker helping out, the tunes on For the Rest of Us range from the wistful "This Loving Thing" (co-written by Dave Grohl) to the rough and rocking "Big Bad Feeling." Not a bad consolation for those of us waiting patiently for the long-rumored X reunion, which may yet happen.

-- Matt Ashare