Seamlessly swirling together shimmering melodies with spoken-word, autobiographical tales of dreams and love, legendary artist Brian Wilson [ tickets ] makes "That Lucky Old Sun" his personal love letter to Southern California.

Optimistic Beach Boys-style harmonies and a vibrant 12-piece band bring a glowing fullness and carefree ease to the majority of these 17 tracks. Wilson gets sentimental, and even a little hippie-minded, with his reflections about the Pacific Coast, past romances and home. On "Live and Let Live," he croons: "God help me for whale babies who cry/Live let live not die." He's also got some supportive words of wisdom for Hollywood hopefuls on "California Role," singing: "Sometimes you've got to edit your dreams/And find the spotlight behind the scenes. Here in California, man I got to warn ya/Find your California role."

While most of the songs carry a cheerful, peppy tone, the more somber "Midnight's Another Day" could be the album at its best. It's a light, symphonic, piano-driven tune about coming out of the depths of despair and loneliness, realizing that midnight is a new day. Another outstanding, slower and softer moment comes with the final track, "Southern California."

Aside from proving he's still got some of the best vocal harmonies around, Wilson's "That Lucky Old Sun" shows he's a powerful conveyer of images, sparking all the senses with his poetry. The words on the album--written by collaborator Scott Bennett--make it easy to imagine being on Venice Beach watching the homeless, or staring at the smog-drenched skyline of L.A.

Despite all his odes to pretty girls and the wonders of nature, there's no doubt that Wilson's true love is the City of Angels. It doesn't become any more clear than on "Morning Beat," during which Wilson jollily sings: "It's rising from star-studded concrete/This city has my favorite soundtrack/It makes you want to move even though it's laidback."