Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers (Bonus Tracks)

Listening to the major-label debut from Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, you can understand why they have attracted a nice-sized following on the college circuit. They churn out straightforward rock & roll that's slightly rootsy, slightly soulful, and definitely tuneful. It's a sound that recalls the Counting Crows and the Wallflowers; however, Kellogg does offer two distinct differences that often stand as improvements over their influences. His romantic tunes about girls who hurt him or who got hurt by him aren't as angst-filled as the Crows' Adam Duritz's and his vocals have a much smoother timbre than both Duritz's and the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan's. It all makes for music that's easy to digest, but also music that is a bit easy to forget. The band tends to traffic in midtempo tunes that are all well crafted, yet they also lack truly distinctive qualities. The quite listenable opening numbers, "Flower in Rain" and "You've Changed," aren't delivered powerfully enough to leave a lasting impression. The one full-out rocker, "Vegas," is a good change of pace; however, it too doesn't fully catch fire. Onetime Whiskeytown guitarist Mike Daly contributes some welcome pedal steel on a pair of tunes, "Blue Jean" and "See You Later, See You Soon." While the former is a particularly appealing country-rocker, the latter spotlights one of the band's shortcomings. Their verses typically are stronger than their choruses. In "See You Later, See You Soon" the verses hold some nice details but the chorus ("See you later, see you soon/See you later alligator, I will see you in the moon") comes off as too bland to grab one's ear or heart. The disc does possess several notable numbers. The Crows-ish rocker "Maria" is quite radio-friendly, while the two piano-based ballads ("Such a Way" and "Keep Me in Your Thoughts") are melodic and moving. There is nothing especially wrong with this record, just nothing to get really excited over.