JEFFREY GAINES: Galore (Rykodisc)

It took Jeffrey Gaines four years to produce the follow-up to the highly underrated Somewhat Slightly Dazed. Unfortunately, his new album amounts to little more than background music. A few of the songs, like "First Chapter's Last Page," "Right My Wrongs," and "Everything" are likeable tunes, but they're not anything you need to hear more than a couple times. The best song on the disc is "Anything New," thanks to Gail Ann Dorsey's cool bass lines. "Alone" sounds eerily close to a little known Ted Nugent tune with the same name; particularly the chorus. Aside from these few songs, Galore isn't something you're going to put on more than a couple times--that is, you get a copy with the limited edition EP.

The EP is the best thing about Galore. It includes a great live version of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," plus covers of David Bowie's "Win," and Elvis Costello's "Riot Act." These three songs are worth the price of the CD by themselves. If you see a copy of Galore with the bonus disc (look for the sticker on the cover), don't go home without it. Otherwise, leave this one in the racks.