Smith Point - "All In All"(Independent, 2003) * * *

This seven-song EP from Northern California four-piece Smith Point is something fans of Phantom Planet and The Calling will love. Blending a competent indie rock sound with radio-friendly lyrics, "All In All" is a quick sample of what is certain to eventually send this band to alt pop stardom. Is it formulaic? Sure. But this is one of those cases where the band plays conventional alt pop that just comes out sounding like so much more.

This is for everyone who can't get Phantom Planet's "California" out of their head … and don't find a damned thing wrong with singing along.

Smith Point - "All In All"

Randy Travis - "Passing Through"(Word Records, 2004) - * * * 1/2

Randy Travis was a country star who became used to surviving under the radar. After the success of his initial work in the late eighties, he dropped off the map as country fans moved on to their "big things", including the likes of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and the ilk.

What impresses me is that this doesn't seem to have stopped Travis for a blind second. He's kept recording solid albums for the last fifteen years, even as not one of them even managed to go Gold. And even as he's passed the age when most country artists are snubbed by the industry (Johnny Cash, anyone?) Travis has decided to reinvent himself by working with a new label, which is giving him the chance to showcase himself as a roots country gospel artist.

Where his last album, "Three Wooden Crosses", dabbled in the latter, while "Passing Through" brings us a taste of what made Travis a star in the first place. Songs like "My Daddy Never Was" paint solid lyrical sketches of real people, the kind we'd meet in any midwestern town. And "Train Long Gone" is one of the best true country originals I've heard in a decade. If Travis continues to produce albums of this caliber, he'll age gracefully in a genre where you're usually considered d.o.a. at thirty.

Impressive indeed.

Randy Travis - "My Daddy Never Was"
Randy Travis - "Train Long Gone"

Ray Charles - "Genius Loves Company"(Concord Records, 2004) - * * 1/2

I've been a fan of Ray Charles' music for as long as I can remember. I was deeply saddened by his death, which came in the same year as another of my personal favorites, Johnny Cash. When I learned this album was being released posthumously, I had to get a copy, just to hear what Ray had spent his final year developing.

What I got was Charles' attempt to reproduce Frank Sinatra's "Duets" album, which works to a degree. It's pure gold hearing the live recording of Charles' duet with Van Morrison, in which the two artists seem to duel vocally over who really owns the song "Crazy Love". The problem is, only a handful of the other duets hold a candle to that track, which is saved for last on the album.

This was the first Ray Charles album to break the double platinum mark for sales, but after spending time with this album, I don't think it is worthy of his genius. Had he not died while completing it, there's no reason to believe the album would have been considered worthy of as many award nominations as it received. It certainly wouldn't have sold millions of copies.

Ray Charles - "Crazy Love (featuring Van Morrison)"

John Legend - "Get Lifted"GOOD Records, 2004) - * * *

Concept albums have always been a tricky thing.

Some, on multiple listens, manage to survive the supposed curse that rests on the artist's hubris in expecting casual listeners to want to listen to the album as a whole. Some fall under the weight of the artist's pretensions. John Legend's debut for Kanye West's label falls somewhere in between.

The album, which follows a nameless man through a relationship which collapses due to his cheating ways. He then finds his way back to the good side, and spends the second half of the album talking to his lover about how much he's changed, and how he hopes their love can find a way. It's a nice attempt, really; the album is well constructed, and many of the Kanye West-produced tracks ("Used To Love U" and "Alright") are clearly aimed at a radio audience and rightly so. And other more introspective tracks, particularly the Legend-produced "It Don't Have To Change", which beautifully evokes his r&b music's gospel background, suggest that John Legend may have a lot more depth than many of his modern soul counterparts.

But "Get Lifted" only works as a whole for a few listens, and then one can't help but focus on the standout tracks. But there's plenty of room for growth, and if Legend has his way, he'll be remembered twenty years from now as a true gem in the history of the new Soul revival.

John Legend - "Used To Love U"
John Legend - "Alright"
John Legend - "It Don't Have To Change"

Ah ... "The First Post"

If you're here, it means you read the Daily News at Ball State. Either that or you really know how to dig and find a great music blog! Either way, this will be the place, starting in January 2K5, for fans of my column to actually hear the music I review, as well as read occasional extra reviews I publish here as I see fit. I hope to make this work alongside my column, to give you a chance to discover that, when it comes to independent music, there's a lot of good stuff out there. You're just not hearing it yet.

Anyway, I'll get you started with a couple of great .mp3s from my vault. By which, I mean my vast collection of out-of-print music that no longer exists on the net, thanks to mp3.com going under.

Mike Doughty - "Grey Ghost" - A live track I found on this former Soul Coughing vocalist's mp3.com site way back when I was a sophomore at Indiana University. This was a live performance, and showcases Doughty's affiable nature and his ability to craft a solid tune even on the fly.

Pocket Dwellers - "Concepts" - Pocket Dwellers is an alternative hip hop group currently surviving in the thriving Toronto music scene. This song showcases their ability to blend jazz and hip hop to create something with context. This has been playing on my computer for nearly three years now, and I'm glad to be able to pass it along to you.

Ill3K - "Got Em All Like Ah" - Another great hip hop group, this one from Hayes, Kansas. They dropped this one two years ago, and I've heard nothing from them since, despite many internet searches that have (to date) yeilded the usual "el zilcho". This track would come with a parental advisory if it was from a major label, so don't play it for the kiddies ;)

Trole - "Drowning In Atrocities" - A catchy tune from Trole, one of the best indie groups playing in Canada! These guys are amazing, but hard to classify, as they play songs in about a dozen different genres. If you like this song, visit http://www.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/TROLE/ and check out "Better Get It Right" and "Just A Girl" to get an idea of what I mean.