My Amazon Reviews: Eric Hutchison "Sounds Like This"

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Pop Like This
3 Out of 5 Stars

Sounds Like This is a prodigious pop album of the old school middle of the road. Eric Hutchinson creates elegant songcraft that pulls from immaculate influences (Billy Joel, Ben Folds and Stevie Wonder all predominate), piercing them into clever and catchy three minute AM Radio pop ditties. It's guilty pleasure music for those who swoon over the likes of Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz.

He has one bona fide hit on "Sounds Like This," the cute and tropical "Rock and Roll." Why this didn't become a major radio smash eludes me, even if Eric's backstory (after a pair of major label snafus, he became the first self released artist to go top ten on i-tunes) hides his considerable fan base. Like most of the songs on the CD, Eric keeps it playful without getting too caught up in the goofy (shades of Mika's Life in Cartoon Motion). And also like many clever pop-writers, Eric knows enough to keep it tight. The album's running time isn't even 40 minutes.

There's always space for clever singer-songwriters in my world and "Sounds Like This" is great ear-candy. If the current crop of popsters like Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, John Mayer or Mika play in your daily rotation, "Sounds Like This" will keep you satisfied.