"We Weren't Crazy," by Josh Gracin; Lyric Street

"American Idol" Season 2 finalist Josh Gracin can sing. But that doesn't mean he has anything to say.

Gracin hits the required notes but, like too many contestants on these programs, not enough emphasis is put on honest expression or conveying anything of interest or originality.

"We Weren't Crazy," Gracin's delayed second CD, is competent mainstream country. As such, it's everything that is wrong with mainstream country. The melodies are mush and forgettable, the lyrics are trite, the hooks are dull. Like label mates Rascal Flatts, this is music made by committee to safely navigate the airwaves and offend the fewest people possible without revealing any distinct personality.

Pod Pick: "We Weren't Crazy."

"Keep It Simple," Van Morrison; Lost Highway/Exile

Notoriously cranky, only Van Morrison could unleash repeated stanzas of "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," in this CD's vaguely spiritual closing track, "Behind the Ritual," and have those filler words express more disdain, frustration and ridicule than most artists could convey over the course of a complete album.

Forty-plus years into his career, Morrison, 62, hasn't lost his gruff vocal edge, either. When the Irishman sings "Soul is a feeling, feeling deep within/Soul is not the color of your skin" on a highlight track here, you believe him.

"Keep It Simple," a self-penned project after a recent foray into country covers, is laid-back, bluesy, with precise musical accompaniment from a solid band. What the album lacks — what every Van Morrison album has lacked for decades — is that one memorable, unmistakable can't-miss tune to take its place with his old favorites. "Keep It Simple" will appeal to the faithful but, ultimately, it's Morrison marking time.

Pod Pick: "Soul."

"Live at the Bass Performance Hall," by Lindsey Buckingham; Reprise

As on his recent work with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing amazes. Peripatetic and brilliant, Buckingham continues to strive for new sounds and for tweaking the arrangements of old tunes from his solo and group career to keep the music fresh. Many of these virtues are heard on this expertly engineered live set from a Fort Worth, Texas, concert recorded during his 2007 solo tour.

But Buckingham's penchant for self-indulgence makes this combination DVD/CD package less than superlative. His voice has deepened and lost range so that demanding set pieces like "Go Your Own Way" elude his vocal grasp. Also, too many selections are included from his recent, impenetrable solo album "Under the Skin" while none show up from his most accessible and finest solo work, "Out of the Cradle."

Pod Picks: "Holiday Road," "Second Hand News," "Trouble."