Ten months after Clash man Joe Strummer passed away, someone decided it would be a good idea to put out Streetcore, the singer/guitarist's final studio album, featuring backup group The Mescaleros. It wasn't a good idea; it was a great idea. Strummer's last impression is a legitimate mix of all the music he always tried to squeeze into all of his own influential recordings.

Streetcore is a mostly guitar-driven rock record, but like a carefully chosen record collection, it goes all over the place. That's no surprise from a guy who, after his death, received one of the most unexpectedly universal memorials of the year. From the dub-reggae of "Get Down Moses" to the protest folk of "Long Shadow," the simple punk-pop of "Coma Girl" to the emotional buildup of "Ramshackle Day Parade," this is an album that features something for everyone, and everything for Joe. The whole thing truly feels like the record he always wanted to make.

On the down side, the album might be a little disappointing for young punkers expecting the crude garage recording that the liner notes and artwork imply. Producers Martin Slattery and Scott Shields took the time to make this music shimmer like an adult contemporary top-seller. The best evidence is a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" that could have been much more poignant if it only took us farther away from the studio and closer to Strummer's heart.

Still, most of Streetcore does come close. Strummer might be gone, but his music was wide-ranging and unpolluted right up to the last minute. Via Streetcore, it's like he never even left.

-- Reviewed by Paul Weinstein