*** Camus

SINS OF THE FATHER

(Atlantic)

Camus (pronounced exactly like the last name of the dude who wrote The Stranger) comes out of the same singer/songwriter tradition that's inspired Tom Petty and countless other American roots-pop romantics with the will to rock -- including Paul Westerberg, whose torn-and-frayed vocal style is also woven into the fabric of Camus's delivery. Oh, and it's hard to miss the distinctly Dylanesque inflections.

But what sets Sins of the Father (in stores May 6) apart from the half-dozen other promising debuts by like-minded traditionalists that show up each year is the depth and detail of Camus's musical vision. Rather than just presenting his songs in the raw, as emerging singer-songwriters are apt to do, he lets rugged acoustic guitars rub up against unexpectedly slick programmed beats, counters a spare folky chorus with a polished pop chorus replete with melodious vocal harmonies and sharp guitar hooks, and applies dense keyboard textures to underscore the ominous lyrics of the disc's title track. Sins of the Father is still dominated by Tom Petty-style Southern accents. But it's more "Don't Come Around No More" than "Breakdown." And in this case that's a very good thing.

-- Matt Ashare

(Camus appears May 1, 8, and 15 at Bill's Bar. Call 421-9678.)