Another Day

On his website, Zach Deputy describes Another Day as his "singer/songwriter album," which is a way of suggesting that, unlike such eclectic predecessors as Out of the Water and Sunshine, this CD does not employ the myriad of musical styles Deputy is known for, but instead sticks to relatively short, romantic folk-rock songs. Deputy waxes sensitive and sincere on tracks like "By Your Side" and the title tune, singing in his expressive white-soul voice, which seems equal parts Dave Matthews and John Hiatt, if including more falsetto. There are times when it sounds like he's ready to break out of this self-imposed straitjacket. "Remember," for example, fades out after a little over three minutes, just when it sounds like it might be going into a jam section. "Make It Right" has a James Brown-like funky arrangement, and "Thoughts of Yesterday" is set to a reggae beat. Really, Deputy has trouble playing it straight. He may adopt a late-night club feel, complete with tinkling piano, for "Tagalong," but then he can't resist providing his own trumpet-like solo with his voice. He's not making fun of the style, he just can't help himself. Thankfully, having largely fulfilled the task he set for himself, he adds the hidden track "Into the Morning," in which he allows himself to toast over a hard reggae track. That's more like it for a man who defines his sound as "island-infused drum'n'bass gospel ninja soul."