Marshall Crenshaw: Downtown

CRENSHAW SINGS like a less nasal John Lennon (whom he portrayed in Beatlemania) with the rough edges smoothed off, becomingly betrays the influence of all of the Beatles' principal Caucasian influences, favors the guitar sound George Harrison used on 'I Feel Fine', is tuneful and droll (as in his famous 'Cynical Girl'), is, in sum, fab in many ways. If this were a just world, he'd be twice as popular as Julian Lennon.