DAN BAIRD�Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired�...

DAN BAIRD

“Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired�

Def American

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In his solo debut, the former leader of the Georgia Satellites thumbs his nose at the anger and self-consciousness of much of today’s alternative rock scene, giving us instead some of that old-time rock ‘n’ roll once celebrated by Bob Seger and the Faces-era Rod Stewart.

“Seriously Gone� and “Knocked Up� recall the fireball vitality and drive of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds in their Rockpile days, and a moody Creedence guitar feel on “Baby Talk� accents perfectly the song’s seductive tone.

The highlight, though, is “I Love You Period,� a lively tale of schoolboy infatuation written by Terry Anderson. In the song, a youngster writes a love letter to his teacher, only to have it returned with his grammar corrected.

Already a hit on rock radio, the song includes this sing-along chorus: “I love you, period / Do you love me, question mark / Please, please, exclamation point / I wanna hold you, in parentheses .�

There are definite limits to Baird’s achievements here--some of the tunes are too generic, and there’s not a trace of substance. Still, there’s enough playful energy, wit and winsome hard-luck reflection to satisfy virtually all the jukebox needs of a Saturday night barroom crowd.