In Brief

*** The John Doe Thing, “Kissingsohard,” Forward/Rhino. For the most part, Doe’s second solo effort is an extension of his work in X. The full-bodied songs, stained with tragic tears and sloshed beers, feature fine fretwork from Blasters guitarist Smokey Hormel and a distinct country twang. Doe’s melancholy baritone has its limitations and occasionally starts to drone, but guest harmonies by X associate Exene Cervenka and Sandra Bernhard liven up a few tracks.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (e x cellent).