** 1/2 COUNTING CROWS, “Recovering the Satellites,” DGC

Counting Crows are caught between rock and a soft place. On their 1993 debut album, “August and Everything After,” they balanced grainy guitar-pop textures and delicate, blue-eyed soul nuances so artfully that even critics who labeled their music derivative were confused about how to pan them: Was it R.E.M. they were imitating, or was it Van Morrison? On their new album, the Crows continue to wear these and other diverse influences--Neil Young and the Beatles among them--on their sleeves. Unfortunately, there are precious few of the killer pop hooks that made such songs as “Mr. Jones” and “ ‘Round Here” irresistible despite their lack of originality.

Still, “Satellites” has its charms. Producer Gil Norton (the Pixies, Del Amitri) echoes some of the folky, atmospheric flourishes that T-Bone Burnett used on “August,” but also adds a tasty dash of rock ‘n’ roll bombast. Crashing guitars and grandly theatrical strings lend an “I Am the Walrus” feel to “I’m Not Sleeping.” “Another Horsedreamer’s Blues” is similarly dramatic, building to a radiant crescendo that sets wailing organ chords against Adam Duritz’s pining vocals. On the milder “Miller’s Angels,” Duritz once again reveals his tender side, crooning, “In the shadow of God’s unwavering love, I am a fortunate son.” Awww.

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