Kissingsohard (1995)

The John Doe Things has provided a revealing double entendre in the titling of this latest solo outing. Both on Kissingsohard and in his work with punk legends X, a group he cofounded, his brawny, hard-bitten ballads depict a world in which love is synonymous with, not a cure for, desperation. And as always, his bracing, sinewy vocals provide the perfect complement for these unsettling vignettes. A-