Iha's solo debut is no smash

And in fact, a close look at the cover of James Iha's "Let It Come Down" reveals a great deal about the artist and the album.

First, it features a photo of Iha standing alone, which is appropriate, as this is the first solo album from the Smashing Pumpkins lead guitarist. More important, he's looking not at the camera but down, his long, ragged mane of dark hair obscuring his face. The pose seems calculated to portray Iha as sensitive, thoughtful and introspective - an image reinforced on the album by his lovestruck lyrics and soft, high vocals.

The border of the photograph is a bright canary yellow, the simple scheme and sunny color coinciding with the songs' straightforward pop sound. The hue also creates a vaguely retro feel, reminscent of '70s icons like Big Bird and the Willie Stargell-era Pittsburgh Pirates.

Similarly, the music faintly echoes that decade's slightly syrupy singer-songwriters like Cat Stevens and James Taylor. And to be honest, there's not much more to the album than that.

Musically, though Iha and producer Jim Scott augment the simple melodies with flourishes of horns, strings, organ and even steel guitar, the songs are almost uniformly bland. The sound is inoffensive but ultimately uninteresting.

The lyrics are similarly mediocre, veering occasionally into melodrama. Like most frustrated poets, Iha falls back on predictable topics and cliched imagery. "The sound of love is oceans far away," he sings on "Sound of Love"; in "Jealousy" he tells us that "love is a falling star" and in "Winter," states that "love will carry me over land and over sea."

In recent months, rumors have circulated that Iha's album would have a distinct country influence, since he is quick to admit his admiration for country-rock forefathers like Neil Young and Gram Parsons. The presence of producer Scott (whose resume includes work with Tom Petty and Whiskeytown), steel guitarist Greg Leisz and electric guitarist Neal Casal seemed to suggest the same.

But the closest Iha comes to sounding like his heroes is an occasional, passing resemblance to late- '80s Eagles.

REVIEW
	James Iha Let It Come Down Virgin 2 stars Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Anders Smith-Lindall

It is difficult to imagine "Let It Come Down" achieving much commercial success. There are no instantly memorable singles here that might latch onto MTV or top 40 radio for any extended period of time.

And while Iha's management and record label is banking on his Pumpkins connections, fans of that band won't find any of their usual heavy, distorted electric riffs here.

The market for this album is pop fans, but they can certainly find similar-sounding but immeasurably better fare from the likes of Freedy Johnston, Matthew Sweet, and even Iha's pal (and Scratchi Records co-founder) Adam Schlesinger, who guests on piano and bass but is better known for his bands, Ivy and Fountains of Wayne.

In all, Iha's first solo effort is hard to get excited about, whether positively or negatively. "Let It Come Down" is far from great but won't be among the worst things you hear all year - it's just very, very average.

02-10-98