THE LILAC TIME”The Lilac Time.” Mercury **...

THE LILAC TIME”The Lilac Time.” Mercury ** 1/2

One-time British New Romantic pop-fop star Stephen Duffy’s transformation, in these folkier days, into contemplative idyllist may strike some (at least the few in the United States who have heard of him) as a bit calculated. But this album is so fresh and understatedly from-the-heart that if it is a calculation, it’s a good one all around. As on the Waterboys’ “Fisherman’s Blues,” the balance between the contemplation (primarily on the state of the English mind-set and the state of love) and the idyllic sound (lotsa airy acoustic guitars and lilting hooks, but not at the expense of drive) is the key: Call it strum and Drang . Maybe the sound’s not entirely new, but it’s truly romantic.