Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

If you haven't heard of Uncle Kracker, then you must have been living under a rock at the bottom of the ocean. He gave us the hit song "Follow Me" off of his debut album last year and he's back for another stab at it. I give Uncle Kracker a lot of credit for trying a second time but this album is definitely going to bring him down into the sophomore slump. The songs are very poorly written and the album is just full of a bunch of "filler" songs. There are a few that stand out but those few aren't enough to save the album.

"No Stranger to Shame" is one of the best tracks. It has a good beat and it's great to move to. I like it because it talks about him just being himself even though he is a celebrity. It's one of the best-written songs also, which makes it more noticeable than a lot of the other tracks. "Drift Away" gives us a softer side to Uncle Kracker. And it also gives us one of the best tracks on the album. It's nicely written and unlike the majority of the album, it has meaning. It's soft, subtle and good to relax and unwind to.

The most sentimental and definitely the best-written track would have to be "Letter to My Daughters". It's a sad but heart-warming letter written to his daughters explaining that he loves them and wants to be there for them but he's unable to due to his profession. I listened to this track a few times because it's so sweet and moving. If he put this much effort into writing his other songs, he would have a smash on his hands.


Before I started listening to this album I was upset and by the time I was through I couldn't remember what I was upset about. I really liked the album even though I doubt that this is the best that Uncle Kracker can do. I'm waiting for him to put out those songs that no one can stop singing but he's disappointing me. I'm giving him credit for being himself and letting his creativity run free but it's not producing a creative album. If he got some more help writing his songs he would be unstoppable. I won't give up hope him just yet. Keep an ear out, I'm sure he'll bring us better songs in the future.