In Brief

Toad the Wet Sprocket was never exactly a hard rocking band. But singer-songwriter Phillips’ understated solo debut (in stores Tuesday) has at least freed him to be more natural and direct than anything from Toad’s final recordings. “Abulum” begins with the swirling, folksy pop of “Careless,” and then quickly (probably too quickly) slips into a simpler brand of rock and folk to accompany lyrics both wry and personal. Warm and mushy.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.