I Know It By Heart

I Know It by Heart is a pretty straightforward singer/songwriter record, albeit one that's more alternative-minded and pop-informed than a lot of stuff bearing that tag in the early 21st century. A song like "Sleeping Beauty," for instance, actually doesn't sound too much different melodically than old 1960s Hollies records, even if Krebs jams in more words and earnest lyrical ambition than the Hollies would have done. "Lonely Street" likewise bears a strong resemblance to vintage Kinks. Krebs is a melodic and, for the most part, likable composer and singer, one with some traces of folk and pop as well as alternative rock. There's a bit too much constant, thoughtful pontification to his writing, though, to make it as engaging as it could be, and the tunes and vocals (sometimes sounding a bit like a less-pretentious Morrissey) aren't so gripping as to make it an outstandingly memorable release. To its credit, there's more variation in the approach than some other similar performers use, with the slight late-'60s British pop-psych feel on "Her Dress So Green in the Moonlight," the slight pop-soul touch to "I Get Mixed Up," or the sultry jazz accents on "Kid Domino."