He still has the warmth of the sun

(JAMES MINCHIN III)

Brian Wilson

That Lucky Old Sun (Capitol/EMI)

ESSENTIAL "Midnight's Another Day"

In the glory days, Brian Wilson wrote about cars with his cousin Mike Love, relationships with ad man Tony Asher, and Americana with fellow boy wonder Van Dyke Parks. But as a solo artist, Wilson has struggled to partner up, allowing a disturbing roster of wannabes - a crooked shrink, a wrestler formerly known as Buddy Love - to glom onto his genius.

That changed about 10 years ago when Wilson hooked up with the Wondermints. These younger musicians swathed the fragile master with emotional support, helping Wilson do the unthinkable: tour and, in 2004, finish his great white whale, "Smile."

"That Lucky Old Sun" is a natural outgrowth, a song cycle themed around his beloved California. Wilson band member Scott Bennett has written the words, and Parks pitches in with spoken-word interludes. What makes the record work, though, is Wilson's ability to create melodies that blend the childlike and enthusiastic with the melancholic and nostalgic.

The songwriting is also top notch. There are rockers ("Morning Beat") and hooks straight out of the '60s pop canon ("Good Kind of Love"). In the end, "That Lucky Old Sun" is defined by three central ballads: "Live Let Live," "Midnight's Another Day," and "Southern California." They are alternately affirming and heartbreaking and, most importantly, they're shaped by the sorts of deceivingly complex tempo and chord shifts that are at the heart of Wilson's best work. [Geoff Edgers]