The Thorns: The Thorns

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * *)

It seems the unsung king of powerpop, Matthew Sweet, has been getting lonely having to stack those towering harmonies all by himself.

So he's added a Stills and Nash to his Crosby - or a couple of younger Wilson brothers to his Brian in fellow singer-songwriters Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins. The result is a supergroup of sorts with an album that exults in lush vocals over lavish, acoustic-framed arrangements recalling Californian pop of yore. That historical sense is enhanced by the likes of veteran session drummer Jim Keltner and E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan helping out.

The album does swerve off its west coast highway on a few numbers. Like the band theme song Thorns, which chucks a glam-rock feather boa among the rack of folk-pop tassled jackets that make up the rest of this album's wardrobe; and Dragonfly, with its psychedelic rock-goes-war urges; or I Set the World on Fire, which sounds like a nod to that piano player's usual employer.

But it's big on Beach Boys, especially on the ballads I Can't Remember, Now I Know, and the prevalent CSN&Y echoes are strongest on the ambling Think It Over and Blue (which was a Jayhawks' song in a former life).

Fortunately, it stops short of getting stuck in its own tonsil treacle, though No Blue Sky could well end up having the sweet life drained out of it by a Ronan or a Robbie.

As an exercise in pop classicism, The Thorns is quite lovely. As an album though, its songs are just a little too under the influence to engage past its sparkling surface.

Label: Columbia