Borne

Like Maroon 5 with even less of an edge, Borne produce mainstream adult contemporary pop/rock that would be simply maddening if it weren't so maddeningly catchy. Though lead singer Michael Mewborne's artfully tousled hair and sharp cheekbones get plenty of play in the album's artwork, he's a pretty boy who can write an entirely decent soft rock tune: album opener "Chelsea," with its prominent acoustic rhythm guitars and subtle horn section, recalls the heyday of Counting Crows, and immediate follow-up "James Dean" brings to mind similarly near-forgotten jangle poppers like the Gin Blossoms and Deep Blue Something. (You know, the guys who did that "Breakfast at Tiffany's" song that was all over the radio dial in 1995.) As is evident from this list of musical touchstones, there is little if anything on Borne that is the least bit hip or cool, but that doesn't seem to be what the quartet members are going for, and it's undeniable that what they do, they do very well. This is a refreshingly unpretentious and enjoyable pop record that deserves to be discovered by the current generation of Midwestern sorority girls who appear to be Borne's target demographic.