Jason Falkner is a wuss of considerable talent. That wussiness derives from the style of music he writes and performs, a sweet, polished, 60's-inflected brand of pop. His talent lies in his ability to mimic and synthesize the sounds of the Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson, et al, and to lay confident, memorable melodies over the syrupy blend.

If his name sounds familiar, there's probably a reason. Falkner made a career out of semi-high-profile musical collaborations before his recent solo outings. As a member of Jellyfish, Falkner played second fiddle (but really just guitar) alongside drummer/vocalist Andy Sturmer. But despite their Genesis-esque setup, the band never attained "Sussudio" heights of glory, and Jason was once again the lone musician. Sometime later, Jason joined the Grays. The band released one moderately successful album, but a long-term venture it was not to be. Nevertheless, Falkner had established a reputation for arrangement and writing which would lead to his working with Air, ex-fine ex-Bangle Susannah Hoff, and Chris Cornell.

Falkner was picked up by Elektra, which he humorously dubbed Neglektra, but parted ways with the label after 1996's Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown, and its Nigel Godrich-produced follow-up Can You Still Feel tanked. Which brings us to the present: a twelve-track compilation of songs, both previously released and new to the world, that highlights Falkner's songwriting talent and skill with a four-track.

The opener, "She's Not the Enemy," happens to be the only song that wasn't recorded on the more rudimentary four-track format, but rather, on a 16-track. The extra tape space allows room for multiple guitar tracks, piano, goofy but great Moog keyboard lines, and layers of rich harmony. The song has a sort of new-wave Ocasek-meets-60's sugar-pop feel to it, and also stands as the album's most impressive showcasing of Falkner's skills as a multi-instrumentalist. All the parts are solidly performed-- most notably the simple but crisp, appropriate drumming.

"She Goes to Bed" slows the pace down, but delivers more lush chord progressions and smallpox-catchy vocals. The Beatles begin to exert obvious influence on the third track, "His Train." The Beatles, of course, do the Beatles better, but Falkner isn't at all bad. Nonetheless, you have to ask yourself if you have extra padding in your wallet for enjoyable but thoroughly derivative music. Fortunately for Falkner, the next song could sway you towards, "Yes, I do." "Song for Her" finds him delving deeper into acid-era Beatles and pulling it off alarmingly well, even coaxing a dead-on McCartney impression from his pipes.

"Miracle Medicine" is the only blazing rocker to speak of, comprised of equal parts the Who, bad early-80's rock, and Nirvana. Here, the vocals take a backseat to the frenzied, distorted, descending chords of the chorus and the propulsive drumming. Things falter, though, on "The Hard Way," which is derivative without the "but really good" part. To make matters worse, the album sputters instead of roaring toward its conclusion. Of the last six track tracks, only "Hectified" and "I Go Astray" hit their mark. It's unfortunate considering the wonderful first half of the album. Still, even with its handful of losers, Necessity still offers an impressive group of songs with a lot for pop fans to savor. I wouldn't be surprised if Falkner finally got around to actually putting out a mind-blowingly great album some day.

-Camilo Arturo Leslie