ROBERT JOHNSON—Close Personal Friend (Infinity):: This guy actually goes Elvis Costello’s name ploy one better, by appropriating the entire moniker of a certain famous and deceased bluesman. This new Robt. Johnson (a white guy, by the way) mixes his metaphors even further by resembling a young John Denver about the face, but dressing in the pegged pants popularized by yet another stiff, Eddie Cochran. Standard post-coke mooning-overrelating-to-June mushy lyrics, but put to skeletal, rhythmic rockabilly, played by a power trio that’s sometimes just a multi-instrumental Johnson himself. Aiming for all-American Beach Boy musical archetypes (gurls & cars) all the while, Johnson might be described as a disingenuous Walter Egan. As interesting as it is eccentric.

R.R.