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Although he's described playing the role of Roger as a mere "stepping stone," Adam Pascal made it to the cover of Newsweek thanks to his part in the Rent phenomenon--and the dramatic edge he brought to his doomed character. While he's continued his work in musical theater with the blockbuster Elton John/Tim Rice show Aida, Pascal returns to his roots as a rock singer on Model Prisoner. His debut solo CD--with backing from Saturday Night Live alumni band members--comes out on Internet-based Sh-K-Boom Records, a label interested in bridging the musical theater-pop music gap for a hip young audience. In fact, Pascal's pre-Rent years were spent fronting a band called Mute; the singer's brand of raw energy makes it clear he's spent a lot of time admiring the likes of Axl Rose and Queensryche. No doubt that the rough passion of his delivery goes some way toward compensating for the repeatedly formulaic quality of his tunes (Pascal wrote 10 of the album's 12 songs)--which can range from leftover hair-metal choruses to dirty-blues-framed laments. But what always comes through is the unmistakable intensity of Pascal's voice, and its ability to shift and shade the moods being expressed. Pascal may be at a crossroads, but he's determined not to be held prisoner by the patterns his fame has cut out so far. --Thomas May