Every Michael Penn [ tickets ] album comes with expectations that you know will be fulfilled. Penn loves artsy, mid-tempo folk that's about as edgy as a beach ball.

Still, on "Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947," his first release in five years, the famous actor's brother and husband of Aimee Mann produces a 13-track exploration into post-WW II America that manages to be both timeless and contemporary.

A full band lends power to many of these tunes. "Walter Reed" features a backwater folk strut. "Room 712, Apache" is damn near rocking. But Penn also knows how to milk his bread and butter. "Mary Lynn" is a rambling dulcimer march, punctuated by stomping and clapping. Later, on the spare acoustic closer, Penn sounds as if he's alone in his post-war tenement apartment with just his Martin.

"Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947" is everything you'd expect from a Michael Penn album: a little artsy but always artful.