***1/2 Bernard Butler

FRIENDS AND LOVERS

(Columbia)

Despite having helped define the attitude-heavy jangle of early-'90s British pop, former London Suede guitarist and songwriter Bernard Butler's solo debut, '98's People Move On, had a retro vibe that nodded toward the pre-guitar-hero rock of the late '60s and '70s. Friends and Lovers marks a return to pop for Butler, who tightens up without becoming uptight. Here, his sweet and serene voice (tonally similar to Suede's Brett Anderson) is pushed to the fore, his nevertheless keen guitar playing is muted in the mix, and his solos are kept pertinently short. Rather than hang in the shadows of Suede's suburban pop daydreams, however, Butler kicks off Friends and Lovers with two solid, cutely inventive, melodic pop anthems (the title track and "I'd Do It Again If I Could") that are his and his alone. And he doesn't ease up on the grab-you-by-the-shoulders hooks until mid album, when a softer tone begins to dominate. Call it a lull or a drag (the dirgy "No Easy Way Out" leans toward the latter). Either way, Friends and Lovers regains character with the astounding eight-minute-plus psychedelic stroll "Has Your Mind Got Away?", where his guitar takes a prog-rock detour and introduces Floydian highbrow drama to now-pop people.

-- Linda Laban