Style: Pop/rock; compare to Matthew West, John Waller and Jason Gray
Top tracks: "Writing to Remember," "The Other Side," "All the Way"
In a nutshell: Since garnering a bit of attention from his 2001 debut on Reunion Records, Canadian musician Matt Brouwer has continued issuing honest songwriter-pop via two independent follow-ups. And even though his third indie CD enlists the expertise of pop producer extraordinaire, Michael Omartian (Rod Stewart, Trisha Yearwood), the album falls flat. Ambiguous lyrical imagery and unimaginative melodies pervade the long, thirteen-song set. Even Amy Grant and Vince Gill's haunting harmony vocals on "Other Side," an Americana-esque ballad penned for Brouwer's late sister, fail to help. But that track does offer less rock riffs and more acoustic slides, turning Brouwer's simple lines into beautiful melodies, a cue the singer should put into effect more often.
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