Gavin Rosdale

Annie Zaleski

Thursday, June 5, 2008 | midnight

Poor Gavin Rossdale. In the ’90s, the Bush frontman was a heartthrob, thanks to hit songs such as “Glycerine” and “Comedown.” But after his group’s popularity waned at the turn of the century—and Institute, a new group with members of Helmet and Rival Schools, went DOA—Rossdale seemed destined to become merely Mr. Gwen Stefani.

These low expectations make the nuanced music on Wanderlust, his solo debut, a pleasant surprise. Gone are Bush’s crunchy generic guitars, in favor of diverse sonic detours into reggae (“Future World”), NIN-like electro-tinged rock (“Another Night in the Hills”) and U2 (“Frontline,” which rips off “Beautiful Day” wholesale; the solemn “Drive,” an update of Zooropa-era somber keyboard-rock). Garbage’s Shirley Manson guests on the fantastic post-rock grumble “The Trouble I’m In,” while Rossdale’s keening falsetto and gravelly intonations often conjure the Catherine Wheel’s Rob Dickinson in many places.

Lyrics were never his strong suit in Bush, and that hasn’t changed here; in fact, the ballads on Wanderlust tend to feel painfully cheesy (if not resemble Rod Stewart at times). But the overall production is slick without rendering his tunes generic or whitewashed. Even if Rossdale isn’t reinventing the wheel, Wanderlust is an example of how to make a mainstream alt-rock record—without pandering to the lowest common denominator.

The bottom line: ***