Album Reviews : In Brief

** 1/2 Gene, “Olympian,” Polydor. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Morrissey must be reeling from Gene’s praises. Cogently anguished and crisply British, Gene’s lilting pop is the spitting image of the Smiths’. The lyrics are less piquant, but Martin Rossiter’s vocals display a quirkily suave touch as they banter literately amid the delicately raucous music. The question is whether the pop world is ready for Morrissey II.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).