Style: porch pop; compare to Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, Jon McLaughlin
Top tracks: "Listen," "How to Fall"
In a nutshell: Sophomore CDs are notoriously filled with a stigma of not being able to top the first. This singer/songwriter's seven-track, 26-minute follow-up to the critically revered Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup is a perfect example, though truncated length is only half the problem. The other half is a watered down, overly palatable pop/rock sound that's so shiny it lacks the rough around the edges charm of his debut. Lyrics range between pleasant but unremarkable encouragement to typical porch pop storytelling. And while an instrumental, acoustic rendition of "Amazing Grace" is fairly dexterous, it only serves as filler on a project that barely feels full.
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