Australian transplant Kai Brown makes his U.S. debut with this self-titled album. In his home country, Brown was well known for fronting successful regional bands and has toured throughout all of Australia. He is joined on this album by members of Vertical Horizon and The BoDeans.
I honestly didn't have any idea what to expect from this album. It's just a plain looking CD and I received no cover art or bio sheet. That said I was obviously nervous about putting this in. As you may have guessed, generally the above situation means a mega-crappy album. Fortunately this was not the case.
Kai Brown has a very slick style definitely comparable to the bands whose members contribute here. The album has an earthier feel than a lot of pop albums but the production is crystal clear and Brown has a nice smooth voice that is pretty inviting really. The title track is a solid feel good guitar pop song that is absolutely the album's highpoint. It was definitely a smart move to make it the title track. "Believe Again" is another definite highlight that almost has an underlying Smashing Pumpkins style flow to it (if you are considering buying this based on that statement and you get mad when you hear it please remember that I didn't say that he sounded like Smashing Pumpkins.)
This is a pretty solid effort all in all. It's got an upbeat, bright, and positive sound to it that makes you feel good. I doubt that it will be long before the major labels snatch up Mr. Brown. If you like artists like Vertical Horizon, Audio Adrenaline, and Better Than Ezra you'd probably enjoy this a lot.
2.5/4
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