Andy Caldwell - "Universal Truth"(OM Records, 2006)

At 31, Andy Caldwell is a favorite among club-electronic fans, having paid his dues over the last dozen years working in movies, television and on a number of successful albums, both as a solo artist and with popular Bay Area group Soulstice. With Universal Truth he shows why his music's so well accepted. This is a smooth, funky album from a man who sounds completely within his element in the studio. "Runaway," the album's frenetic opener, sets the tone and doesn't let go, urging you to get up and dance with an arrangement that is decidedly more rock than electronic. With a pulsing bass and a synth line that sets the tone for super-sexy sultry vocals, this is a song that's prime for summer smash hit status. The rest of the album's an interesting mix. Sometimes he slows things down a bit too much, and loses track of the raw energy that made the album so alluring upon first listen, but if you make it all the way to "Universal Truth," the album's uber-addictive title track, you'll be hooked for good and the occasional misstep won't matter in the least. I'm no club / dance music fan -- in fact, I avoid it for the most part due to the genre's affinity for endless dull four-to-the-floor mixes -- but this is an album that's simply fun to listen to, and even more fun to groove to. In my eyes, that's a very good thing.