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A new-age Frank Sinatra. Those are the first four words that popped into my head as soon as I heard World Keeps On, which is the first track on singer/songwriter Richard Julian’s sophomore album entitled Sunday Morning in Saturday’s Shoes. The refreshing Julian incorporates some of Sinatra’s New York flare with pop, rock, jazz, and a little bit of everything else. The songs are extremely well-written, and the album is an impressive display of what a musician today should sound like.

Julian has worked with Norah Jones on a country side project called The Little Willies, and he’s received as much praise as the songstress diva, possibly even more.  Sunday Morning in Saturday's Shoes is Julian’s sophomore follow-up to 2006’s Slow New York, which received rave reviews from the likes of Harp Magazine and even The Washington Post. He spent much of 2006 and 2007 touring with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Rosanne Cash to promote his first album, and the sophomore follow-up shows how much he’s matured since his first major label release just two years ago.

If you are looking for a CD to put in to relax on your couch on a Saturday night with that someone special, then let me recommend this little ditty from this future mega-star that will have your friends in awe after they find out that you have it.

Remember back when John Mayer was relatively unknown? I do. I remember first hearing a Mayer song as a wee little kid before he was famous and saying to myself that he was going to be big. That’s exactly what I am doing right now, only I get to say it to many more people and hopefully make them believe.

It’s difficult to pick a standout track or two on here, because they are all impressive. Julian’s poetic voice really impressed me, however, in the track Can’t Go Back. The lyrics are about moving on, and the music reminds me of something that Jack Johnson would put out. It’s really that impressive. Two other great tracks are the aforementioned World Keeps On and God III, which is a comical little song about the son of the son of the Lord. I guarantee you’ll like that one.

One of the best parts of Richard Julian’s music is that he’s not afraid to talk about difficult topics. He takes on the War in Iraq (Can’t Go Back), religion (God III), and many other don’t touch topics that most artists shy away from.

This is the very first perfect ten that I’ve given out as a reviewer for this site, and I think that says something right there, as I’ve reviewed a lot of impressive acts.

Let’s see, in the span of a little over 500 words, I’ve compared a relatively unknown artist to Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, John Mayer, and Jack Johnson. Either I’m crazy, or I know something. You choose on your way to pick up this CD.