New York guitarist Gary Lucas is one of those guys who has the good taste and Hendrix-meets-Tom Verlaine guitar chops to be part of a lot of great projects. He was Captain Beefheart’s guitarist during Beefheart’s stint with Virgin Records that produced the brilliant Doc at the Radar Station and Ice Cream for Crow, and in 1991 he introduced Jeff Buckley to the world during a tribute at the Knitting Factory to Buckley’s father, Tim. For all of his ability as a player, it’s hard to identify his signature beyond a basic musical intelligence that also extends to his choices of associates. In addition to Beefheart and Buckley, he has also recorded as the Killer Shrews with Jon Langford of the Mekons and Pere Ubu’s Tony Maimone. On Coming Clean, Television’s Billy Ficca drums on a few tracks and long-time NYC bassist Ernie Brooks plays on most of the album. David Johansen contributes a vocal, as does the Bongos’ lead singer Richard Barone. That lot virtually guarantees reliably entertaining music—including an impressive take on Bernard Herrmann’s theme to the movie Psycho—but it would be nice if the album had a more compelling central personality that made the album something you looked forward to listening to instead of something you’d enjoy but wouldn’t think to put on without a reminder.