Jon Christopher Davis, 2006

Having spent years in various Nashville songwriting factories (where he wrote tunes for the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus, Dolly Parton and Sherrié Austin), Jon Christopher Davis decided to return home to Texas and pursue a career of his own. His homecoming celebration comes in the form of this very winning — if occasionally slightly cloying — set of pop-smart country-rock. Davis has a regular-guy voice and the kind of professional songwriting chops that can only come from years in the trenches. He knows just when to rock a bit harder and when to inject a little roadhouse grease into his sound, and when to throw in some handclaps behind the twangerrific guitar licks. The most inspired moments on his eponymous debut come on the album's roots rock rave-up of an opening track ("You Gotta Love Someone") and the brilliantly Texas-centric "'Round Here," on which he celebrates the homely simplicity of his hometown. But that kind of sentiment can bog you down in simple-minded sentiment if you aren't careful, and that's exactly what happens on the maudlin "Bottom Line," on which Davis basically growls at the whole modern world. But he redeems himself nicely on such gems as the acoustic-based-but-solidly-rocking "Baby Looks Good on You" and the sharp and wicked kiss-off song "I Don't Care." Recommended.