POP ALBUM REVIEW : ‘Feed’: Idealism With an Edge

** 1/2, Chad Jasmine,”Feed’,’ Parlay Records Hippie daze are here again on this solo album by the front man of National People’s Gang.

Name your favorite summer-of-love theme--the promotion of universal peace and love, the attack on militarism, the rejection of divisive religious dogmas, the capturing of moments of romantic bliss that belong to the beautifully young--and Jasmine has a song or two expounding it.

Think of your favorite folkie bard of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s--an innocent Donovan or a dreamy Nick Drake, a fervent David Crosby circa “Guinevere,” or an eccentric, falsetto-singing Robin Williamson (of the Incredible String Band)--and you’ll find his parallel in Jasmine’s work.

The nice thing about “Feed” is that the performances are sufficiently engaged, and the delivery sufficiently quirky, to make it more than a garden of transplanted ‘60s delights.

Jasmine is highly idealistic (sometimes stridently so), but he maintains enough of an edge to ward off most accusations of softheadedness.

Jasmine gets intimate, sympathetic backing from a core band made up of NPG’s Anthony Arvizu and Deyo Glines (billed here as Paco Hijo) on drums and bass, respectively, plus pianist Michael Richards. He also does a good job accompanying himself on acoustic guitar--less than virtuosic but delivering much more than mere stolid strumming.

Against that sparse accompaniment he sets well-conceived, multitrack vocal arrangements that exploit his wide range and offer theatrical twists that help him convey pained keening, hazy reverie or lightheartedness as the situation dictates.

“Feed” (available only on cassette for now, but with a CD release expected soon) flows well through a strong first half in which Jasmine mixes moods, rhythms and dynamics enough to keep things interesting. Another NPG member, Chad Forrello, serves up psychedelic guitar bursts on “A Lot Like the Road,” the album’s lone rocker.

The side ends with a ghostly, art-song rendition of Joni Mitchell’s 1969-vintage “Rainy Night House.” This hushed, almost sacral parable applauds a generation’s rejection of a comfortable material inheritance in favor of the search for deeper values and an identity of one’s own, thereby summing up the ‘60s ethos as well as any other single track from the era.

Jasmine’s material doesn’t hold up as well on side two, with only the blues-inflected “Medicine Man” rising above a prevailing placidity. But he scores enough points during the first half to make “Feed” a worthwhile snack for the coffeehouse set, a good choice for those who like listening to music made for the candle-lit dark.

Albums are rated on a scale of * (poor) to **** (excellent), with *** denoting a solid recommendation.