Thurs. April 12

Sean Lennon is one of the most famous musician-sons around, and it's impossible not to hear echoes of his dad when he sings. Which means it's impossible to banish a certain sadness. Lennon's second solo disc, "Friendly Fire,"(with short film included for each track on a bonus DVD) came out late last year. Rolling Stone gave it four stars. It's a gentle, melodic, mid-tempo work reminsecent of the late Elliott Smith, with a very obscure T.Rex cover included ("Would I Be the One"). There's sweetness with a little bit of bite. Lennon has said, "I think beauty without suffering is kind of saccharine, like a Hallmark card." We like that. We must report "Friendly Fire" is not a real rocking affair - he's walking on the lighter side, taking a path his father sometimes took. (There's no Yoko influence here.) The producer is former Bostonian and pop ace Jon Brion. Lennon and his band take the Paradise stage Thursday April 12 at 10 p.m., after an opening set by Women and Children. Tickets: $18.

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