Son Shines

By David E. Thigpen

He was just a schoolboy, but representing his late father John Lennon at the Beatles' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a decade ago, Sean Lennon bluntly reminded an audience, which included George Harrison and Ringo Starr, that his famous genes shouldn't be confused with real achievement. "I'm pretty proud to be up here," said 12-year-old Sean, "for basically doing nothing."

Sean is 22 now, and having taught himself guitar, piano, drums and bass, he makes his solo debut next week with Into the Sun, an album that should lift him from the purgatory of hereditary celebrity and establish him as a promising if not fully matured songwriter. Produced by his girlfriend and roommate, Yuka Honda of the band Cibo Matto, the album explores a single subject: their love affair. This may sound familiar, yet Into the Sun has a sturdy, radiant optimism all its own. Home and Bathtub, two of the finest songs on the record, are typical: Lennon uses the warm sounds of acoustic guitars and glowing synthesizers to limn scenes of romanticized domesticity. He draws inspiration from the curvaceous Beatle melodies of the late 1960s, but Into the Sun is an eclectic mix that wanders across genres, mutating into bossa nova, jazz, R. and B. and back again, echoing Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chet Baker, Stevie Wonder and Brian Wilson.

Lennon has yet to find a way to fuse all this into his own style, but he's got time. For now, he's managed to generate real interest in his music, not just his legacy. A decade ago, that was a feat no one could imagine.

--By David E. Thigpen