"Smart pop-rock".  Those were the first words I heard used to describe Brandon Heath's debut album, Don't Get Comfortable.  Some would say that "smart pop-rock" is an oxymoron.  And while that may be a little harsh, I suspect many of us have thought the same at one point or another.  Is it possible to have smart pop-rock?  Let's find out!

Musically, Don't Get Comfortable begins with a solid foundation of guitar.  While piano features on a few songs, Brandon's guitar eventually takes center stage on every song.  And those songs?  Most of the songs possess some solid hooks, making it easy for one to end up singing along after only one listen.  And yes, there is plenty of material for radio stations to choose for their playlists.

After three successful albums with Gotee records, a missionary trip to South Africa, and the startup of The Train Station: Hip-Hop Learn Shop outreach comes The Groundwork Theory, from the once and future Knowdaverbs.  Verb's has spent the past several years honing and perfecting his sound and this latest release shows just how far the young man from Phoenix has come.

Back in action with Verbs' Global Village hip-hop sound and lyrical wordplays that grab you by the ears, The Groundwork Theory is not an album to be played as background music. Kicking off with "I Yie", Verbs maneuvers through the reintroduction with Jedi-like reflexes into an ever-present message of integrity with "You Better Not Fall For That", featuring cameo performances from Theory Hazit and Josiah Bell as well as production by Tony Stone. Next comes the reminder that "if life's moving too fast, take your foot off the gas," in "Be Still", a sentiment that is reprised between tracks later on, and features a guest appearance by The Light.

It's amazing how much things have changed for indie artists in recent years.  In the past, being an indie artist often meant struggling to make ends meet long enough to sign with a major label so that your works could finally reach the ears of the general populace.  Here in present day, so many of the barriers that shackled artists in the past have been broken.  In an age of the Internet and MySpace, indie artists can almost achieve as much visibility as major label artists.  While Lindsey Kane hasn't quite reached that level yet, her sophomore indie release Move Me Aside shows that she's a growing artist with a good deal of potential.

The key to a great tribute album is that the artist performing the music holds a true love in their heart for the music.  This could not be more clearly true for the Austin quintet, The Derailers, on their tribute to country troubadour Buck Owens, Under the Influence of Buck.  The Derailers’ love for Owens stems from a personal place.  The band met Owens in ’95 while performing at a birthday celebration for the icon.  Owens was moved by the respect the band had for his sound and did all within his power to support them from inviting them to play his club in Bakersfield, California to booking them as the house band for his 70th birthday bash.  A thankfulness and love is crystal clear on these thirteen tracks The Derailers offer up for their departed friend.

“Foolin’ Around” kicks the album off; with lead singer Brian Hofeldt’s vocals taking center stage with the tale of a spurned lover while “Under the Influence of Love” is faithfully rendered.  “Johnny B. Goode”’s rockabilly falls a bit flat yet the mid-tempo pluck of “Love’s Gonna Live Here Again” restores order.  “Together Again” is a perfect barroom waltz, complete with weepy steel guitar courtesy of Chris Schlotzhauer as “Down on the Corner of Love” lets Sweet Basil McJagger’s honkytonk piano a place to shine.

Oftentimes one of the biggest knocks against Christian music genres is that they are typically derivative of mainstream music styles.  With rare exception, Christian musicians are a step behind the beat, bringing to the Church sounds that have been out in the mainstream for six months and will soon be out of vogue.  And in all the shuffle, not only do these bands borrow copiously from their “secular” counterparts, they end up creating music alongside other similarly influenced bands and the market is infused with a deluge of like-sounding fodder for the masses.  Such is the case with the latest release from So. Cal based rockers Dizmas, Tension.

Dizmas’ debut was a face-melting screamer and the group instead opts for a bit of reinvention here, bringing a mixture of sounds together that find the band sounding like everyone from Fallout Boy to Taking Back Sunday.  Opener “Jealousy Hurts” is a clear example of this, employing a virtual duplication of Fallout Boy’s sound, complete with raging guitars and the occasional falsetto inflection.  “Shake it Off” is a futile exercise in repetition yet the full sound of “Play it Safe” provides a great palette for Zach Zegan to offer up his declarations of faith.  “If You Love Someone” is another step for the band, showcasing the closest thing to a ballad found here.

Many times in my relatively short history as a reviewer I’ve had several releases from up and coming or unheard indie bands cross my desk.  A brief read through a less than exciting bio page leads to a disappointing spin of the record and a “thumbs down” review.  Yet, every now and then, we find the diamond in the rough.  Such was the case when I received The Kid EP from Birmingham-based indie outfit, Interest Relief.  Fronted by visionary songwriter and musician Brad McConnell and produced by Rusty Varenkamp (Mute Math), this five-song collection gives the world hope.

Interest Relief has garnered comparisons to the likes of Radiohead and Wilco but their sound is still clearly their own.  A unique blend of organic and electronic elements lends themselves to creating an eclectic sonic palette for McConnell’s insightful lyricism.  Described in their bio as “an experimental-rock-pop-acoustic sound that is distinctively accessible”, the music comes across as solid, sound, and creative.