It's tough to fault
Edwin McCain
for basically making the same album over again, since each has at least a handful of hummable
pop
rockers as good as his fluke, lighter-raising
ballad
hit,
"I'll Be."
Falling between
Hootie
's bar-brand strum
rock
and a more aggressive
Counting Crows
,
McCain
's honest, sand/honey vocals, along with his knack for a hook, keep this release alive. The material is hit-and-miss, with the
ballads
and gospelly tracks -- like
"Jesus, He Loves Me"
-- undoubtedly the strong points and the trashy rockers sounding forced and stiff. The poppy
"One Thing Left"
strays into jazzy territory and gives some room for
's under-utilized sax player,
Craig Shields
, to open up.
missteps on the punky
"Get out of This Town,"
which sounds like lukewarm
Billy Idol
and sticks out uncomfortably in a disc that should be content to wallow in slow-dance smooch songs like
"Kentucky"
and
"Hearts Fall,"
the latter of which adds a string section to further tug at the wedding slow-dance crowd. Even a twang rocker like
"Sun Will Rise"
has hit-single potential in a
Train
sort of way, sporting a memorably melodic chorus that rhymes "rise," "skies," and "eyes" so simplistically you're almost ashamed to sing along with it. But sing along you will, which makes
a better-than-average strum-rocker with a talent for churning out an album like
Far From Over
once every few years. No apologies are needed as long as he stays fixed on his strengths and leaves the
rock & roll
to more competent bands. ~ Hal Horowitz