Conor Oberst, 'Conor Oberst'

Backstory: As the public face of the eclectic, oft-changing ensemble Bright Eyes, 27-year-old Conor Oberst has been saddled with the voice-of-a-generation tag since his band’s breakthrough album “Lifted” in 2002. Though he’s made a double-disc opus (“I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning”/”Digital Ash in a Digital Urn”) and a rambling collection of self-exploration (“Cassadaga”) in the years since, this is the first album billed as a solo work since his 1996 cassette-only release “The Soundtrack to My Movie.”

Why you should care: Even if you doubt that whole voice-of-a-generation thing, you can’t deny that when Oberst is on, he shares heartbreak in a way few can. For proof, search YouTube for his solo-acoustic performance of “Lua” from Coachella, in which audience members are literally brought to tears.

Verdict: Usually, when singer-songwriters break away from the comfort of their band’s name, they do it to escape the trappings they’ve set for themselves in their other guise. Not so for Oberst, who’s happy to continue diving into his own conventions, from the meandering, sexed-up “Sausalito” to the Spanish-shouting road-song “Moab” to the honky-tonk Dylanisms of “Danny Calahan.” The thing is, it still works: Oberst’s drawl is so consistent and confident that even a hokey throwaway like the less-than-two-minute, boot-kicking White Stripes knockoff “NYC - Gone, Gone” works on its own merits.

X-Factor: Oberst didn’t release “Conor Oberst” as a Bright Eyes record because longtime producer/collaborator Mike Mogis didn’t work on the album.

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