‘Stand’: Craftsmanship but a Lack of Invention

** 1/2 Farm Dogs, “Last Stand in Open Country,” Discovery. As you might expect, the debut of the group that lyricist Bernie Taupin assembled with three career sidemen features vivid images and expert, tasty playing, but it lacks invention and personality. There’s an earnestness in the earthiness of the acoustic settings and the unrefined lead vocals by Taupin and, on three songs, guitarist Jim Cregan, with tight harmonies providing a ‘70s post-hippie aura. Englishman Taupin returns effectively to his passion for Old West themes in the title song, while “Bone of Contention” offers catchy pop craft. But the forced grit of such working-class character studies as “Shameless” (about a girl on the streets) and “Barstool” sounds contrived.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).