Tom Morello, the Nightwatchman, 'The Fabled City'

Backstory: Renowned as one of the all-time great guitarists based on his work with Rage Against the Machine (and, to a lesser extent, Audioslave), Tom Morello has long demonstrated a strong political bent and an interest in doing his own storytelling. In 2007 he released his first solo album (“One Man Revolution”) under the name the Nightwatchman, and in early 2008 led the Justice Tour, in which he performed alone and with artists like Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Slash, Wayne Kramer of the MC5 and more, to benefit charities and speak out for human rights and against the Bush administration.

Why you should care: Where “One Man Revolution” was quiet and brooding, “Fabled City” ups the energy and dares to rock a bit. Not Rage-style, exactly, but in a traveling, leading-protesters-towards-Capitol Hill kind of way. Morello does most of the singing, but the record also features guest turns by Shooter Jennings and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian.

Verdict: While we’re in favor of musicians trying different things, and nothing here is less than OK, singing and lyricism still aren’t Morello’s strengths. The upbeat jangle of “Saint Isabelle” and defiant stomp of “The Iron Wheel” are hard to resist, and moody stuff like “Lazarus on Down” might work if it were performed by, say, Nick Cave or Tom Waits. But the minimal “Rise to Power” is just boring, and when a guy’s forte lies elsewhere, it’s tough not to wish he’d stick to what he does best.

X-Factor: Those looking for firm, discussion-worthy statements will still find them scattered throughout, like this line from “Midnight in the City of Destruction”: “I pray that God himself will come and drown the President if the levees break again.”

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