** The C. Gibbs Group

29 OVER ME

(Atlantic)

Owsley may claim that the radio has him by the ear, but it's Christian Gibbs who sounds like the radio itself -- kinda predictable, polluted by a glut of styles, titillating in small doses. The short of it: Gibbs comes off like a cipher on his first major-label disc. 29 over Me is a spinning FM dial spewing out bits of alterna-pop and classic rock, hitting and missing its marks with equal mediocrity. The one-time Modern English hireling is an adept studio rocker, however; his work is competent if not compelling. When nonchalant ("House in a Bottle), he's Jeff Lynne beveling a another multitracked jewel. When he's blue ("29 over Me"), it's more like Robert Forster crooning a Grant McLennan tune. Both have their catchy sides, so I foresee "Animals Criminals" grabbing the "Sex and Candy" crowd, or at least being segued into "Closing Time." After all, Gibbs is an impressive shape shifter. And he sounds more natural copping Jagger's "Fool To Cry" falsetto than Michael Stipe did on that Monster tune.

-- Jim Macnie