Alabama born multi-instrumentalist followed a career path not unlike 's, by backing up big mainstream pop artists, collecting the rewards and channeling them into his own solo work. plied his wares in the bands of and in the mid-'90s, then recorded his own material at home, and offered the finished product to record companies on a take-it-or-leave-it basis -- just like did with the first album, noted. took it, and released 's debut in 1999. Another of 's old bands contained , and their likemindedness is hard to miss; this album's are practically homages. While both craft pop hooks which make similarly instant impressions, toughens them up with meatier singing and crunching guitars, avoiding the occasional maudlin sensibilities of ' stuff -- the "wimp factor" is wisely absent here. 's power-chord crunch and serviceable soloing amplify matters in songs like 's sonic references originate in the '70s: there's 's keyboard melodicism, the offbeat arrangements of , and even a throwback to the stylized country-rock of . In terms of amplitude and attitude, though, this album is a direct product of the late '90s. is about as ideal as pop solo debuts get; like and the first album, it introduces expert tunesmithing and by an unassuming musical personality. Smart, tasty, and guilt-free. ~ Paul Pearson