Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Adam Fears’ new album is one that I liked in the first six seconds. This album has it all, from the up-tempo songs (You Get Me and Rock It On) to songs about love (Old Mistake and Right Now). Each song tells a story and the music give you the emotional feeling to that story. You Get Me and Rock It On have that sort of Big and Rich sound of country meeting rock ‘n’ roll. You Get Me gears and pumps you up for the album, while Rock It On leaves you wanting more with a high-energy, jazzy piano and a great beat.

On the more romantic side you have songs like Right Now and Wherever You Are Tonight that are beautiful ballads. However, the songs may be a little too sappy for some. Other tracks, like The Lights Went Out and Dead End Dirt Road provide a sense of Fears’ personality and life living in Texas. The simple acoustic guitar in The Lights Went Out allows you to focus and listen to the lyrics. In Dead End Dirt Road you can almost picture the scene and feel the nostalgia the Fears sings about.

According to the artist's Web site, You Get Me was to represent Fears. It was released in the summer of 2007 to Texas country stations. Fears also writes songs for a publishing company in Nashville. In fact, it was his publisher that gave Fears the idea of creating an album of his own. The producer got the idea after he saw Fears play lead guitar for other bands in the area.

The vocals have just the right level of twang to them. In lyrics and arrangement, the songs are simple, which is what makes them wonderful. When it comes to most Country music, I have to admit I'm not a huge fan, but I really loved this album!