Josh Kelley For The Ride Home CD

Josh Kelley wears his debt to Dave Matthews very much on his sleeve on this assured debut, using both Matthews' producer and several of the mega-platinum stadium rocker's vocal tricks on a collection of songs that ranges from the radio-friendly "Amazing," through the folksy "Follow You," to the Bic-waving anthem "Old Time Memory."

Kelley's personable vocals and user-friendly songs rely less on jam-band musical athletics than good old-fashioned musicianship courtesy of a backing band that includes Jeff Buckley's former drummer and recalls both that band's interplay and some of the Wallflowers' organ-laced sound. With Kelley's songwriting smarts and an image that cultivates a low-key, singer-songwriter-next-door image, FOR THE RIDE HOME is a high-quality introduction to a refreshingly laid-back, musically assured singer.

This repackaged version of Josh Kelley's enjoyable debut, For the Ride Home, includes a bonus disc with two new songs and acoustic versions of the original album's singles. For his part, Kelley can't outrun the sensitive, Southern, and delightfully disheveled singer/songwriter comparisons -- the young Mississippian's in line behind John Mayer at Dave Matthews' bar. Like those guys, Kelley counts producer John Alagía (Mayer's Room for Squares, Matthews' Crash) in his corner. He also sports a similar flair for phrasing and first-person confession, especially on Ride Home's "Angeles" and "Travelin." Kelley's sound can tend toward the bland -- "I Saw You" is like a highway exit with 14 enticing yet utterly homogenous fast-food offerings. However, dollops of Kelley's homespun charm do keep things interesting enough. Opener and lead single "Amazing" is an upbeat, dizzy number warmed by Kelley's husky, expressive vocals and an organ solo; the song's similarity to Jason Mraz's "Remedy (I Won't Worry)" isn't surprising -- Alagía produced that one, too. But that's all right. For the Ride Home ends up succeeding for some of the same reasons Mraz and Mayer did -- like them, Kelley has a disheveled friendliness that's hard to resist. He's a top-shelf road-trip conversationalist, looks great in a wrinkled oxford, and settles comfortably somewhere between sensitive and upbeat. His five o'clock shadow never gets to ten, and he's looking at you with amusement over the lip of his coffee mug. While lighthearted material like "Perfect 10" and the single are pleasing enough, it's actually the quieter material that's most promising here. "Amen" is an elegiac number that suggests, well, Seal, while the arrangement for emotional standout "Home to Me" is wisely pared down to Kelley's faintly cracking vocal, an acoustic guitar, and a pretty wash of atmospherics. As for the bonus disc, "Solid Ground" might be the better of the two new songs -- its smooth phrasing, cl

Includes a bonus disc.

Recorded at The Crab Trap, Easton, Maryland.

Personnel: Josh Kelly (vocals, acoustic guitar, dobro, Wurlitzer piano, programming, sound effects); Ben Peeler (electric guitar, lap steel, banjo, accordion); John Alagia (electric guitar, guitar, toy piano, keyboards, synthesizer, vibraphone, ebo, shaker, tambourine, samples, background vocals); Mike Andrews (lap steel, ukelele); Dave Yaden (piano, Clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer); Tom Freund (bass); Matt Johnson (drums).

Personnel: Josh Kelley (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer organ, drum programming); John Alagia (guitar, accordion, toy piano, synthesizer, vibraphone, shaker, tambourine, bells, sampler, background vocals); Ben Peeler (electric guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo, accordion, synthesizer); Michael Andrews (lap steel guitar, ukulele); Dave Yaden (piano, Clavinet, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Matt Johnson (drums).

Audio Mixers: Jeff Juliano ; John Alagia; Josh Kelley; Mark Jackson.

Recording information: Oxford, MS; Soundfile Studios; The Crab Trap, Easton, MD; The Jungle Room, Burbank, CA.

Personnel includes: Josh Kelly (vocals).