Tim O'Brien: Red On Blonde (Sugar Hill) ++++ _ Bob Dylan's music has found its way into many contexts and genres over the years. And why not? Much of Dylan's work _ especially his early songs _ contains a rhythmic and melodic accessibility that lends itself to the exploration of a skilled player. Tim O'Brien, in addition to being a fine writer himself, is just one of those musicians. In his liner notes, he addresses Dylan's enigma as "sort of like a kid with a chemistry set," and turns Dylan's songs, some of which are fairly obscure, into a melange of acoustic feels. Sticking fairly close to his bluegrass roots, O'Brien directs his resourceful troupe of musicians into fertile territory that branches off into reggae, folk and pop directions. O'Brien's impeccable singing leads the way superbly. He interprets Subterranean Homesick Blues as a quirky, melodic rap song, replete with "ham bone" body percussion. Tombstone Blues is done in a fervent Appalachian wail, under a fiery bluegrass beat. And while O'Brien does stretch some boundaries (hearing Maggie's Farm as an old-time dance tune takes some getting used to), most of the time he nails it pretty good, especially with the reggae groove of Man Gave Names to All the Animals. However, all cleverness aside, his aim is truest in solid songs with strong lyrics such as Forever Young and Lay Down You Weary Tune, captured so vibrantly by O'Brien's tenor voice. Bob would most assuredly approve. _ Logan Neill, Times staff writer CLASSICAL After The Rain . . . The Soft Sounds of Erik Satie; Pascal Roge, piano (London) +++ _ If the plan is to sell the piano music of a composer like Erik Satie, as opposed to, say, Chopin, it's best to find a hook, a way to package it. In this case, London has gone New Age with a beautiful black and white cover photograph of a lush country lawn _ taken, we are to suppose, "after the rain," suggesting pensive thought, even melancholy. The music matches this mood-package in a pleasing way, though the first few selections are so similar it's difficult to tell when Roge has ended one and begun another. Satie was a quirky man, and a difficult composer to categorize. At the Paris Conservatoire, he was a poor student, lazy and often absent. He gave his music ridiculous, incomprehensible titles such as three melodies that make you flee, almost as if he himself did not take them very seriously. He was an extremely introverted, elegant man, who, while Debussy's friend, was apparently intimidated by his fellow composer. Satie's music seems to suffer from the same kind of uncertainty. At times, it is silly and inconsequential; at other times, as on this recording, it is very attractive. He died in 1925, of a liver ailment, the owner of 12 identical gray velvet suits. _ David Ballingrud, Times staff writer POP/ROCK Def Leppard: Slang (Mercury) +++ _ As we head deeper into the uncharted world of the post-punk '90s, it has become something of a rock 'n' roll sideline to watch '80s superstars try to shoehorn their classic sounds into the new pop asthetic. And as one of the biggest beneficiaries of metal's MTV-fed dominance of '80s rock, no group faces a bigger challenge than Def Leppard. Stepping out with its first all-new album since bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam turned pop music upside down, the British rock quintet hasn't yet grown goatees and traded in its polished sound for a punky spirit. Instead, the group has moved in the other direction, snagging choice drum samples and almost disco-style percussion sequences to create an intriguing mix of dance grooves and hard rock bombast. Tunes like the title cut, with its jackhammer guitars and percolating drum tracks, and the synthesizer-drenched sound collage Truth show off this new attitude best. Even when drummer Rick Allen sits behind an acoustic kit, pounding a tribal groove on Work It Out for the first time since losing his left arm in 1984, the result is a mechanized, effects-laden excursion, held together by sequenced percussion and choppy rhythm guitars. It's a production-heavy sound likely to find few supporters among today's punk-inspired trendseekers. But those with open minds and ears will find a complex web of appealing pop nuggets underneath the studio tricks. _ Eric Deggans, Times pop music critic