When I asked Bill Mallonee about his motivation for taking such a drastic leap from one style—guitar driven roots rock—to synth-based Britpop, he replied, “I like staying in motion. Most of the great artists are moving targets.”

Now available from Paste Records, Perfumed Letter is the first official solo album for Mallonee, who turned out several albums as the front man for Vigilantes of Love. And he has clearly moved on to a new place, a new sound, a new vision.

Whether it suits him or not… that’s open for debate.

The album, produced by Mallonee, Tom Lewis, and Paul Wilkinson, is unmistakably Mallonee. The lyrics explore the wounds of relationship breakdown, guilt, regret, and near-despair, but just the fact that he is still openly appealing the Divine assures us that he has not lost a handle on hope.

It is good to hear him exploring different territory vocally. He sounds liberated, trying quieter modes, layering his voice into harmonies that at times echo the Beach Boys. It’s an ambitious work, lyrically playful and complex, with one foot in Beatles-land and the other in Dylan country. His signature style of wordplay and doublespeak is all over this rather light affair. And he proves yet again that he can turn out hooks with the best of them.

I applaud Mallonee’s desire to try new things, and there’s nothing wrong with a venture into Britpop. (He started that direction on VoL's Summershine after all.) But something doesn’t feel right. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but for me the primary problem is the lack of distinction in the musicianship...espeically the keyboard playing.

The songs are strong, and Mallonee sings them with his whole heart and harmonica. Mallonee’s voice is a great voice for rock and roll, and it might be a good fit with Britpop if the right musicians were behind him. He sings with the rough edge of a southern country boy and the soul of a Jeff Tweedy, a Mike Scott, sometimes even Steve Earle. Tweedy was able to step into pop territory and make it work, but he was also backed by a stellar band whose enthusiasm made the music irresistible.

But some of the performances here, especially the keyboard parts, feel merely sufficient.  It doesn't quite work, at least for this listener. There is nothing remarkable about them, whereas the guitars for Vigilantes were energetic, even riveting. In short, they sound like they could be easily reproduced by any keyboard player who stepped up to the keys. Moogs, Mellotrons, and Clavanovas may be a match for power pop bands. But these songs long for heavier guitars.

And thus the guitar-oriented songs are the songs that work best. Perhaps the others, good songs every one, will find more winning arrangements in upcoming live performances.

“She's So Liquid” is a great song, in spite of what sounds like a half-hearted performance here. “Wintergreen” will become a fan favorite on the strengths of its lyrics alone, but here it is weakened by a guitar solo that sounds a bit too enamored of George Harrison. "Extraordinary Girl" puts pedal to the metal for lickety-split love song worth turning up luod. "That Little Something" could go places as a single. And the album's most powerful number "After All You've Done for Me" would be a cornerstone on a Bill Mallonee Best-Of.

“She's So Liquid” adopts the lyrical mode of U2’s “Mysterious Ways”, describing the consoling spirit as the muse or the beloved… perhaps even as Mary herself.

Made a visit to your garden
To come there and ask for pardon
My offense was very great,
my defense was second rate
She’s luminous, ya dig?
Yeah she’s so liquid

He speaks of a sense of mystery and grace “like angels in the trees looking on”, this muse’s kisses reminding him of “a wishing well.”  The song finds him singing with enthusiasm and Beatles-esque backing vocals, but with a gentler touch than usual.

Mallonee strikes a better balance in a few numbers: “Life on Other Planets” finds a glowing keyboard/guitar mix similar to REM’s “All the Way to Reno”, becoming one of the album’s strongest tracks. The lyrics stick, detailing the allure of false advertising and the yearning for a restoration of childlike faith:

I’m always falling in love
With something other than you...

Drowning in a sadness I can’t hardly name
Easily swayed by the power of suggestion.
It’s always hard getting past those first impressions
I believe it turns to gold
Watch it begin to unfold
Like a story you’re once told
You believed in God
You knew Romantics
Life out there on other planets

The fiery guitars of “Extraordinary Girl” give the album a dose of clear adrenaline, a fiery tribute to his beloved Brenda, as if he wants her to hear it even though he’s “a million miles away.” In those speedy riffs, set to racing drums, you get a glimpse of what this could have been with a more demanding producer.

This all reminds me of the muddled puddle into which Bruce Cockburn stumbled in the 80s. While he wrote some of his strongest songs during that decade, he also made the recordings painfully dated, punctuating them with dominating keyboards that robbed them of the organic, visceral quality of his earlier and more recent records. He eventually got rid of the superficial gloss and began re-interpreting them live in sparse, guitar-driven versions that resonated. Similarly, Mallonee's discovery of keyboards has diluted the power of his compositions. Perhaps he too will come around to the same decision, or else he might find new and surprising ways to use keyboards that will produce something truly original for the listener.

For now, I'm left with the distinct impression that Mallonee had the stuff of a great album here, and ended up with a good one instead. I’m not saying "Go back to VOL" -- I agree with those who say Mallonee should move on and not give in to nostalgic fan demands. I've felt for a while that he was strong enough to go it on his own. And if he wants to paint with these colors for a while, it’ll never be less than interesting. But I think Audible Sigh remains the most urgent and immediate Mallonee material of recent years, even if those songs are ancient history for the singer himself. There's an album that exhibits the intelligence and the energy he is known for.