There You Are Again

Once you make it past the sappy opening that overloads syrupy -styled strings, after-school-special lyrics, and a guest duet from , all of which make it sound like a outtake, 's first studio album of new material in nine years finds its footing. The song does set the tone of this disc, though, finding the younger in a particularly upbeat, love-the-world mood. The following tune, unites siblings and for the first time on one of 's best tunes. A lovely mid-tempo with a lilting melody and a snappy electric guitar fill from , it is a capsule of everything does well when the parts fit. There is still no mistaking the similarity to older brother , at least vocally, but these songs shade more to classic , , and . The extended wait between albums has paid off in the immaculate production devoted to each song. A crack band including pros such as drummer , keyboardist , saxist , and bass player meticulously brings each tune to life, although the disc's slick production and pristine recording sometimes undermines the singer's rootsier influences. conducts a choir on the and the vocals of help bring the religion on shifts into a mood on helped enormously by vibe master . All told, it's a delightful outing, a little on the cutesy, some might say cheesy, side with tracks such as the playful and the good-natured -styled - But that's 's personality and world view and he genuinely sounds like he's enjoying himself on this upbeat, generally smile-inducing collection. Bouncy, bubbly, sometimes whimsical, but never pretentious, the album finds an established yet often overlooked veteran comfortable with his life and his art. ~ Hal Horowitz