CD REVIEWS POP/ROCK

David Cook, "David Cook" (19/RCA)

This year's "American Idol" is an archetypal rock singer on a show dominated by divas and pop vocalists, so at least he has a slight stylistic distinction going for him. However, "David Cook" is so formulaic it might as well be labeled simply "Rock Singer" (no title, no name, no photo) and deposited directly into the discount racks at Wal-Mart. Still, Cook is produced with precision, and he delivers generous amounts of angst-filled hooks. So potential hits are available, such as opening cut "Declaration," where meaty guitars support Cook as he sings about standing alone against the world, and also the raucous, classic-rock-tinged "Heroes," where he earnestly belts about how heroes come and go. "David Cook" is serviceable elsewhere, too, from its raw "Bar-Ba-Sol" to its radio-friendly (and somewhat subdued) "Avalanche" to its piano-and-strings ballad "Permanent" to its fairly restrained and upbeat closer "The Time of My Life." Yet Cook invariably oversings; bland songs are everywhere, and it's hard to imagine listeners feeling a continued deep connection to the ordinary-voiced singer as he blares and broods through one rote song after another.

CHUCK CAMPBELL, SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

Mudvayne, "The New Game" (Epic)

The plot of Mudvayne's new album of growly aggro metal reads like a truck-stop Raymond Chandler novel. Someone killed your best friend, and because the small-town cops are useless, it's up to you to find out who did it. The shifty-eyed weed dealer with the simmering vendetta? The tweaking Vietnam vet overly fond of high-school chicks? One thing Philip Marlowe would not do after a hard day of busting heads and breaking hearts is listen to Mudvayne. Although "The New Game" tries to instill a bit of dread with a goofily sordid narrative, it trawls some pimply musical terrain to get there. The album's gooey, midtempo grind at best evokes System of a Down stripped of ambition and eccentricity, and might elicit sympathy with whatever culprit is running around that no-stoplight town. Mudvayne's oeuvre has long tried to reconcile vocalist Chad Gray's radio-ready inclinations with more menacing instrumental fare. The band should pick one card and play it, as almost tuneful single-bait such as "Have It Your Way" and "Scarlet Letters" undermines the gnashing of "Dull Boy," which sounds like having a lukewarm bottle of Bud Lime broken over your skull. Why this stuff still sells in an otherwise great time for metal is the real mystery here.

Mudvayne performs Saturday at the Myth in Maplewood.

AUGUST BROWN, LOS ANGELES TIMES