John Doe wears many faces.

Some may recognize him as the bassist for legendary L.A. punk band X. Others may know him as the father in WB’s “Roswell.” And many may not have even ever heard of him.

However, the latest solo effort from his band, The John Doe Thing, has been making waves with some critics across the country.

“Freedom is…,” Doe’s fourth solo release, was two years in the making. Doe admits this is the first record he has done in which his mindset was to make an actual record rather than a polished demo for record companies.

“Lyrically, I was trying to be as honest as I could be, but I wanted to maintain the poetry,” Doe says. “I try to make it so the music and the words could stand alone”

It’s this mindset that has helped Doe win the hearts of many critics as he crafts his lyrics as poetry rather than just words to fill a melody.

“There’s a lot of imagery on this one,” Doe says. “It’s easier to relate to because it’s what you would see inside a house or hotel room. The subject matter is more personal and internal rather than commenting on the world.”

Doe worked on the album for more than two years with Dave Way, a producer whose resume includes TLC, the Spice Girls, and many other R&B acts. Doe met Way while X was recording “Wild Thing” for a compilation CD. The two have maintained their relationship over the years and Way has lent a helping hand to Doe’s solo project from the beginning.

“Dave and I worked hard to give the record range,” Doe says. “You keep it simple, you don’t try to overlay it.”

Part of the reason the album took so long to record was that Doe was writing the songs as he was recording and had no label support. However, Doe claims this helped him as he was influenced by many different things.

“Freedom is…” may be the latest release by Doe, but his music career dates back much further to the early 1980s when his band X was a driving force in the punk scene.

Even though those days are over, Doe feels no regrets about what happened to X, happy with the greatly increased songwriting flexibility in his new band.

“The quieter, more acoustic ones would never fly with X,” Doe says. “X had a very specific sound and I can use it for my material if it fits the song.”

A couple of Doe’s songs, “Too Many Goddamn Bands” and “Ever After,” may have a familiar appeal to X fans, but Doe’s albums have been diverse for the most part, something that may turn away his old fans.

“It’s not good or bad,” Doe says. “I hate bands that play a punk song, a ballad, then some funk. What the fuck are you trying to say? Does your music have a point? You can do everything, nothing very well. I do that maybe a little bit but it’s not a bad thing.”

However, Doe isn’t afraid to admit that his newly found writing freedom is a relief from the later days of X in which he says the band was expected to write songs a certain way.

“It became baggage for me when we had to write `X songs,'” Doe says.

However, Doe’s creative talents don’t stop at music. While in X, Doe was asked to act in the movie “Florida Radio,” a film using L.A. musicians and actors.

“I was flattered,” Doe says. “But I didn’t a have a clue.”

After a taste of acting, Doe decided to enroll in acting classes and even acted in a few more movies. These days, Doe plays the father on the WB show “Roswell.” However, he only shoots about once every six weeks and wishes he could work more on the show.

“It’s creatively satisfying,” Doe says. “You are the character. You are living that life. You don’t have to rely on an audience.”

However, Doe can’t find a preference in acting or music as he claims both are important to his life.

“I would never marginalize acting and what it takes to do it right,” Doe says. “It’s something that needs your full attention.”

Doe has also opened his eyes to a cause he feels is very important— the West Memphis Three.

“Three kids were wrongfully convicted of [murder]. This is fucked up,” Doe says. “One is sentenced to death and the other two are sentenced to life terms.”

Doe was glad to contribute a track to a compilation to support the boys, a compilation that includes L7, the Supersuckers and Eddie Vedder, who coincidentally covers an X song.

The CD will help contribute to their defense fund.

Age has certainly played a role in Doe’s life as both a songwriter and actor. Now married with children, Doe claims that he is not only influenced by life these days, but also his family – a long way from his days as the bassist for X.

“You have one constant positive with these constant changes in your life,” Doe says. “Being married gives you a sense of security. It may not be permanent, but at least it’s there.”