Vestavia (1999)

If life were fair, John P. Strohm would be entering his Born in the U.S.A. phase right now, shouting out his earthy choruses to stadiums full of fans. Instead, this vet of the Blake Babies, Velo Deluxe, and the Lemonheads remains an ace character actor — adroit but unknown. Let's hope Vestavia changes that. Songs like ''In Your Dreams'' and ''Drive Thru'' suggest that the dry husk of hooky, jangly guitar rock still has a few gallons of sweet juice left inside. A-