Sounds Like Life

iTunes Review

Darryl Worley's post-9/11 anthem “Have You Forgotten” remains his signature tune, but 2009’s Sounds Like Life suggests that he deserves another shot at the charts. Worley is not the grandstanding type; he works best with heartfelt, down-to-earth tunes. Songs like “Honkytonk Life” (an affectionate flashback to his scuffling days), “Tequila On Ice” (a balmy tune pitched somewhere between Kenny Chesney and John Anderson), and “You Never Know” (a string-draped ballad with a bittersweet message) show off his unaffected style to good advantage. Though much of the album sits in a comfortable midtempo pocket, Worley does turn up the heat at times, especially on the rambunctious “Don’t Show Up (If You Can’t Get Down)” and the positively steamy “Doin’ What’s Right.” He basks in a sunny romantic mood on “Everyday Love,” then injects a note of playful cynicism into “Money.” Producer James Stroud tosses in enough funk and blues elements to give the tracks some tang. Short on bluster and long on sincerity, Sounds Like Life feels real where it counts.