ACL Fest Friday Reviews

Jesse Malin

Despite an impressive array of guest spots and high-echelon hosannas, Jesse Malin's third solo album is a mixed bag. The former D Generation vocalist clearly knows his way around a song, but there are too many moments on Glitter in which Malin abandons finesse in favor of clever couplets masquerading as grand truths. A legitimate successor to Springsteen would know when to keep this Jim Steinman syndrome in check, but everything that's writ way too large about "Don't Let Them Take You Down (It's a Beautiful Day!)" can be surmised in the title alone. Malin's punk-infused stab at nailing the voice of the Everyman is best served on "In the Modern World," which takes the plight of a goth-girl-turned-single-mom and turns it into a sleigh-bell-bedecked radio anthem with a big, bright heart. Malin also nails the notion of finding peace amid forgotten dreams on "Aftermath" when he sings, "You can die in the gutter, baby, or learn to live with the loss." The Boss himself lends backing vocals to the aspiring elegy "Broken Radio," but Malin's solo piano reading of the Replacements' "Bastards of Young" ultimately rings truer. (12:30pm, AT&T stage)