POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Australian Teen Ben Lee Steps Up

Forget the spiritual, emotional and sociological crises you hear young pop stars singing about these days. The No. 1 reason a teen-age boy picks up a guitar is still to impress girls . . . and to put down girls who aren’t impressed.

That makes Australian wunderkind Ben Lee, just 17 and looking even younger, perhaps the most honest singer-songwriter around. Roughly half of his set at McCabe’s on Saturday--part of a quickie U.S. tour squeezed into his high school’s Easter break--dealt with those top teen concerns.

But while his perspective is unquestionably teen, his wit and eloquence go way beyond his years: “This isn’t just my body, it’s where I keep my heart,” he sang in a number about being embarrassed to remove his shirt in public.

That combination has made Lee the protege and surrogate kid brother of cutting-edge figures from the Beastie Boys (who released his recent “Grandpaw Would” album on their Grand Royal label) to producer Brad Wood (whose star client, Liz Phair, makes a cameo appearance on the album).

Saturday, initially performing solo and then backed spiritedly by Wood on drums, Casey Rice on bass and Spinanes singer-guitarist Rebecca Gates (who opened the show with her own winningly casual set), Lee charmed with his offhand manner, sub-rudimentary guitar strumming and sneaky way with a melodic hook. The girls were impressed--and so were the boys. Keep an eye on this one.