The Sweet Sounds of Mellow Confidence and Contentment : *** 1/2 / SEAN LENNON “Into the Sun” (Grand Royal)

If young Lennon is feeling the weight of his legacy, you can’t tell from the relaxed, warm, playfully adventurous feeling of his formal debut. It’s not burdened by any overarching need to prove himself. Instead, it’s a friendly, sweet “hello,” the start of what promises to be a long, rich relationship.

That fits the overall theme of the record, where the word is love, seen in its first real flowering, yet surprisingly mature. Assured yet earnest, Lennon is able to coo a duet of devotion on the title bossa nova with his girlfriend-producer Yuka Honda, of the art-pop band Cibo Matto, without sounding gooey.

Musically, too, he’s so natural and at-ease that you hardly notice when the innocent-sounding opening ballad, “Mystery Juice,” shifts into a noisy (though attractive) construction. The tone may range from light Latin rhythms (a common thread on several songs and the jazzy instrumental “Photosynthesis”) to bubbly, ‘60s-ish pop (“Two Fine Lovers”) to almost formless percussion and vocal excursions (the closing strains of “Sean’s Theme”), but never is it anything less than personal and heartfelt.

Those digging for comparisons to his parents will be foiled if they stick to the surface, other than noting that Sean’s voice is a higher-pitched echo of his father’s. Those craving the spirit of openness and exploration they bequeathed him, though, will be richly rewarded.