While I admit to having strong feelings for the Smashing Pumpkins, upon listening to Let It Come Down, I'm not sure how much of a creative force James Iha is in the band. What I always expected a solo album from this guy to sound like was a big, loud ruckus with a 17-minute experimental noise epic at the end.

Instead, Let It Come Down is 12 tracks of sugary- sweet pop music for lovers with extra cheese. I'm not sure if I have the patience to count, but I'm willing to bet that the word 'love' is mentioned on this disc well over 100 times. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but if you do the math, that comes out to 8.3 times per song. That's a whole lotta love.

Let It Come Down really tried to appeal to that embarrassed side of me that secretly likes Toad The Wet Sprocket, but it's not even that good. It sounds like Freedy Johnston singing rejected Carly Simon songs. It sounds like the Gin Blossoms and Matthew Sweet soundtracking an early '70s film about young hippies in love, minus the drugs. It sounds like a lot of things you probably don't want to listen to.

Despite a bunch of interesting musical guests (Nina Gordon, D'arcy, Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and former Filter drummer Matt Walker), the instrumentation is less than interesting; probably 'cause the songs are so incredibly simple.

At any rate, it's probably a nice change of pace for the guy since his full time job is rocking out in the Pumpkins. And in that respect, the guy's got some cute creations, but it doesn't provide total redemption. This is still pretty bland. Be prepared to feel 14 again.

-Ryan Schreiber