Jon McLaughlin would be a troubadour in the true sense (read: love poet) if we were back in the 13 century. McLaughlin, a 26 year-old from Indiana has a sweet sound. His album, OK Now, available on Island Def Jam is simple, pretty, and easy to listen to. It's one of those rainy day albums, or making love to your significant other albums.

In his sophomore album, OK Now, there is a mature, though beautifully innocent feel to his music. Perhaps that is why he has found his way on soundtracks from Bridge to Terabithia, Georgia Rules, and Disney's Enchanted. McLaughlin's well-trained vocal range and uncompromising ability to blend harmony and lyrical mastery is no doubt a result of his classical training as a pianist. The piano is a delightful constant throughout the CD, appearing as either a lead or support in all the tracks. At times the power of the piano is breathtaking, others it is a subtle afterthought. What a nice way to manipulate such a majestic instrument.

Thematically, the CD is chock-full of love songs—both of the unrequited and reciprocated sort. Track one, "Beating My Heart", is light, breezy and airy like his voice, easily palatable with a bright poppy refrain. Catchy little tune. Track two, "Four Years" provides a crisp, almost punchy sound to it. The reflective lyrics singing of high school days to where he is as an adult and his attempt at counseling the youth is a journey we can all relate to. Throughout the tracks, the piano serves as a great auxiliary to Jon's melodic voice. Track three, "You Can Never Go Back"- is a sad observation wrapped in a deceptively cheerful melody about moving on with your life, forgetting ill-fated dreams of the past, and living in the present. Some of us need reminding that if we live in the past that it is about high time we let it die because there ain't no going back.

If you have ever had a lover that you just knew didn't feel the same way you did, "Things That You Say" is a raw prick in the nerves of unreturned love. A melancholy piano accompanies lyrics that echo the thoughts we have had when we refuse to give up on that unhealthy relationship. The verse, "tell me you're in love, I'm the only one/, go on and lie to me with all the things that you say", taps into the insecure nature all of us possess with matters of the heart and unapologetically exposes our undying desire to be lied to we don't get what we give.

Track five, "The Middle" the most Enrique Iglesias sounding of them all, down to the deliciously sultry vocals that drip like honey from his lips, has McLaughlin blatantly confessional, " I was too young to know and too dumb to figure out/ you can lose yourself in all this traveling around/let me tell you now where I went wrong". Track eight is the only song that left me visibly disappointed, "Dance Your Life Away" despite the fact that I found myself bobbing my head in rhythm, it sounded too synthesized and overly-structured for in comparison with the rest of the work. There were some odd movements that sounded like the 1980's synthesizers got mixed-up with a lead from Whitesnake. It does not contribute to the overall feel of the album and could easily be omitted from the overall product.

My favorite track, "Why I'm talking to you" nabbed me at the title. The defiant melody seems less constrained and more charged than the previous tracks, it shows some promise and departure from the rest of his work. There is a funky-groove to it, reminiscent of early Sting blended with that unmistakable John Mayerish tune, and topped off with the piano prowess imitating Ben Folds Five. The piano of course is McLaughlin's strength, and adds a little more depth to the more progressive than the previous tracks.