The Jayhawks: Smile

THE BAND THAT helped kick-start the alterna-country sound over a decade ago has undergone a major transformation since the departure of co-founder Mark Olson following 1995's exquisite, reflective, mainly acoustic Tomorrow the Green Grass. The group is now essentially a vehicle for tousle-headed singer/guitarist Gary Louis, who - keen to move beyond Olson's bucolic sweetness - introduced all kind of troubled notes and doubts on 1997's beefed-up Sound of Lies.