1/2KEITH RICHARDS”Main Offender” VirginIZZY STRADLIN & THE...

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KEITH RICHARDS

“Main Offender”

Virgin

IZZY STRADLIN & THE JU JU HOUNDS

“Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds”

Geffen

In the third song of his second studio solo album, old dog Keef shows a new trick: He sings. Really sings. Richards is still no Luciano or Frank--or Mick, for that matter. But there’s a sweet delicacy to the way his reedy voice skips along the rippling melody of “Eileen,” a joyous song of faith and fidelity that melodically is a cousin of the Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”

And it’s just enough to tip the scales on this otherwise good but predictable collection. There’s an overall sense that Richards is repeating himself--not so much the Stones’ sound, but his own 1989 album “Talk Is Cheap.” Along with his crisp, guitar-based rockers, there are once again a reggae number, a funk workout and an Al Green-inspired number. Still, it’s hard to overlook any quality work from someone who has such a historic style that’s completely his own.

The same goes for Stradlin--he has Richards’ style too. For the most part, that means the ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s first solo album is full of dead ringers for “Sticky Fingers”-era Stones, but with Richards handling the vocals ( before he learned to sing). Stradlin’s croak is a bit hard to take for extended listening.

Stradlin’s guitar interplay with string-bender Rick Richards (ex-Georgia Satellites) could well be outtakes from Keith Richards-Mick Taylor sessions. Only when he steps away from that borrowed style--notably for a punked-up version of Toots Hibbert’s “Pressure Drop” and “Bucket o’ Trouble,” a slippery rocker reminiscent of Stradlin’s most charged GNR compositions--does he offer more than just someone else’s sounds. Better to stick with the real deal.