Postcard from California

The first solo album from the Beach Boys' Al Jardine is laid-back and sunny, with an L.A. studio sound that could've come straight from the early '70s instead of the early 2010s. A Postcard from California blends new material with a few choice Beach Boys nuggets ("Help Me Rhonda," his own "California Saga"), and includes help from a long list of contributors -- virtually every past and present Beach Boy (aside from Dennis Wilson), plus a bevy of stars: Neil Young, David Crosby, Glen Campbell, Flea, John Stamos, and Alec Baldwin. The album has a similar sense of wonder as Brian Wilson's solo material, bolstered by Jardine's slightly deeper and stronger vocals. ~ John Bush