The Sons of William are heavily into tradition—yes, they really are two brothers fathered by a Bill who taught them music, accompanied on this debut by several pianists and bassists. But this Houma duo are even more serious about musical genealogy, specifically, the place where the secondary and tertiary branches of the Beatles’ stylistic tree (Badfinger, late ’70s Fleetwood Mac) meet Tom Petty’s radio-ready Americana. Over it all, singer Joe Stark combines John Mayer’s sensitivity and Adam Levine’s sexuality. (And, sometimes, the other way around.)

It’s an adult-alternative programmer’s dream, and yet the Stark brothers’ sincerity manages to shine through the slick production. They really are working some issues out here, not just striking poses, and even those too cynical to bother with this segment of the musical mainstream may find themselves struggling to get the haunting, yearning choruses of “Dreaming” out of their heads. The Sons’ occasional attempts at rawk aren’t as sturdy. “Lucifer Hands” emphasizes the word “bullshit” over an AC/DC riff, but the result can’t help but be reflective, not menacing; these are two boys you can trust with your daughter. But as the gentle, slightly ambient closer “Count on Me” proves, they’re not pushovers, just good guys struggling to maintain the inherited values of the heartland. Musical and otherwise.