Review: David Duchovny acts, but can he sing? He does, come 'Hell or Highwater' (Grade: C)

I waded into “Hell or Highwater,” the record released last week by actor David Duchovny, with great trepidation. Being a big fan of his TV show, “The X-Files” (returning in 2016!), I hold a certain sort of reverence for Duchovny.

I’ve been hesitant to download his book, “Holy Cow,” published earlier this year, for fear that it will disappoint. I cringed a little when I learned that Duchovny had released a rock record. Mulder at the mic?

But I grade and review records, so I had a job to do.

While “Hell or Highwater” isn’t necessarily a good record, thankfully, it’s not bad. Yes, it’s a vanity project. But at many points it doesn’t sound like one.

What kind of music does Duchovny play? Basically, country rock. Think present-day Cracker or Tom Petty.

What does Duchovny’s voice sound like? Kind of droll, like Mulder. Kind of flat, like many singers who aren’t professionals. Kind of Dylan-esque – Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers), that is. Kind of like David Lowery (of Cracker).

The collection of 12 songs aren’t written particularly well. Penned by Duchovny, the lyrics are mostly cliched, occasionally painfully awkward. “But in the test of our love/In the test of my love/In the test of our love, Darlin’/If it’s multiple choice I gotta mark/None of the above, Duchovny sings in the title track.

There’s also nothing remarkable about the songs’ structures. But there are a few pretty choruses, especially in the pretty ballad “The Things.” And two rockers, “Unsaid, Undone” and “Another Year” stand out.

At 54 minutes, “Hell or Highwater” is definitely longer than it needs to be. Like later episodes of “The X-Files,” an editor was needed.

But for an actor, Duchovny acquits himself as a musician quite well.