looks about 16 on the cover of his debut . He's really older (23) but his music sounds informed by teenage passion and concerns as well as being built for teens who might be interested in the heavy, introspective sounds of or but would rather have it delivered by a dude who looks like 's little bro. OK, that may be a bit harsh. True, though. spends most of spilling his guts wittily about love lost and love found, feeling detached and weird, being confused, and how people can be a real drag. He does it in a perfectly pleasant voice, intimate and passionate, while being backed and produced by pros who know how to make mainstream teen records (most notably producer ). They layer big chunks of guitar over sweeping keyboards and big loud drums (manned by heavy-hitters and , among others) and come up with a completely average sound -- which is a drag because probably deserved a bit better. Certainly his songs would have been better served by more dynamic and original production (and someone to tell him to cut back on the use of the little falsetto leap he runs into the ground quite quickly). That said, there are some standout tracks that hook on despite the sonic limitations, good tunes like the lovely Almost as importantly, there are no duds to be found. In short, has talent, is a good record with good songs, and above all, the kid shows promise. Given a little luck and some good choices, he could really do something cool someday. Consider this a foot in the door, a nice little calling card that can be reissued in a deluxe package ten years down the road. ~ Tim Sendra