Moonflower Lane is guitarist Ty Tabor's second solo album outside his full-time band, King's X. By making quite a name for himself in hard rock/heavy metal circles over the years, many would expect a full-on metal-guitar-shredding release, but Tabor has always emphasized the importance of melody and songwriting over carefree guitar wanking. Since Tabor handles all of the album's singing himself, Moonflower Lane has more of a strong Beatles flavor than your average King's X release (Tabor's voice is similar to John Lennon's at times). Also noticeably different is the absence of King's X bassist Doug Pinnick's mammoth 12-string riffs, replaced by Tabor's simple but sturdy basslines. Highlights include the hopeful opener "I Do," and the melodic hard rock of "The Island Sea," as well as "I Know Everything" (on which Ty's son plays French horn!), "The Truth," and "Her Palace." Fans expecting solos galore may be a bit disappointed, but Moonflower Lane is full of first-rate Tabor compositions that longtime fans will love. [Note: Ty Tabor's first solo release, Naomi's Solar Pumpkin (available through mail order only), contains six different versions of songs from Moonflower Lane, plus four tracks unavailable elsewhere.] ~ Greg Prato

Rovi