John Frusciante's solo work has thus far been fairly split between greatness and tragedy. He's proven to be on top of his game when he plays it cool — take 2001's underrated To Record Only Water for 10 Days —, but always seems to lose himself when bit by ambition, like in 1997's dreadful Smile From the Streets You Hold.

So when the Red Hot Chili Peppers' axe man announced his plan to release six albums in 2004, there was little telling which Frusciante listeners were bound to see at any given time: the no frills singer/songwriter or the defiantly avant-garde wannabe rock hero. With his latest, DC EP, Frusciante scores one for the former.

Recorded over two days by Fugazi front man Ian MacKaye, DC finds Frusciante keeping his experimental tendencies at bay just long enough to crank out four tracks of straightforward rock 'n' roll.

"Dissolve" and "Goals" are pretty traditional sounding in the broad scheme of things, opting for melody and substance over creative convolution. But Frusciante has always done a better job of playing Neil Young than Frank Zappa, so he deserves kudos for steering down the right path. Now it's only a matter of how long he'll stay there.

Grade: B