Mercury State

Daniel Pearson not only writes like a classic singer/songwriter but builds an album like one. Mercury State, the second full-length from this English artist, is an economic nine-song collection that forces listeners to focus on each track—just like the days when Jackson Browne or Bruce Springsteen worked up and shaped their best songs and left the rest on the cutting-room floor. Since Pearson already disregards his debut album, Satellites, as "poppy," it's apparent that the thematic consistency of these songs dealing with the economic downturn is more his personal speed. "I Still Believe" puts a lonely Pearson at the piano. "Rat Race" reminds one of a gentler Billy Bragg, with Pearson's vocal and electric guitar made easier on the ears as he sings of the struggle of the working man. "All Is Not Lost" presents the minor-key downtrodden vibe of the best Damien Jurado songs, continuing on the heartworn closers "Old Friends" and "Lights."