Chris Stills
3 stars

A few new artists carry the unusual baggage of being the offspring of legendary musicians. Chris Stills is the same California-drenched singer songwriter as his famous dad. That is where the similarities end. The father's rootsy country rock is forgone for a mature, modern piano vibe. Chris has the romantic edge and even rolls out some extra languages. The ladies out to be lined up around the block.

Jesca Hoop � Kismet
2.5 stars

Female singer songwriters with a slight bent to their songs seem to be the current flavor. Jesca Hoop could be your next favorite alterna-girl. She is weird, quirky, romantic and her record has enough musical variety to please fans of everyone from Gwen to Nelly. She even manages to drop a few names (Rick Rubin) and snag a few notable guests (Stewart Copeland).

Kuwahara � Roam Arrow
2.5 stars

With left hand firmly on the books of the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, Kuwahara treads the same path as a riff driven party band. The riffs, the drums, the humor � you have heard it all before. The band does break out some sweet dual vocal melodies and layout enough hooks to stand on their own. If they lean towards their own strengths next time, they could be on to something quite good.

The Yum Yum Tree � Paint By Numbers
2.5 stars

The Yum Yum Tree mine the sunny alternative rock of the '90s. The little sister to bands such as Veruca Salt, The Breeders and all those other bands of the time not living in Seattle. Vocalist Michelle Friedman is charming in her breathlessly nonchalant attitude familiar to those aforementioned bands as well. Songwriter Andy Gish wrote a few sparkly gems but the '90s sound dates the record as about 15 years too late.

The New Amsterdams � At the Foot of My Rival
3 stars

Acoustic guitars drive each song by the New Amsterdams, but it is the added embellishments that add color and strength to this well versed record. At the Foot of My Rival is very mellow, with a few instances of island drums and rhythms to loosen the tension. Too many bands have added unnecessary filler to pad an album up to 14 or 15 songs. At 14 tracks this record is surprisingly consistent without a loser song in the bunch.

Lachlan Horne � The Horne Supremacy
2 stars