David Byrne

To the delight of some, and the horror of others, David Byrne's old band, Talking Heads, evolved into a world-beat circus, piling complex polyrhythms and African musicianship atop his increasingly abstruse songs. By contrast, David Byrne, his fourth solo album since the Heads' demise is his most stripped-down effort in ages. Many songs feature little more than guitar, bass, and drums, a combination that well suits tales of awkward alienation like ''A Self-Made Man.'' There's even a lovely, uncomplicated love song, ''My Love Is You.'' It's nice to hear a gimmick-free Byrne, but bear in mind that straightforward songs from this guy are still fairly twisted by any reasonable standard. B+