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iTunes Review

Following in the pop-rock footsteps of Jason Faulkner, Brendan Benson, Matthew Sweet and, heck, Bread, Josh Ottum unashamedly sugarcoats everything he writes and plays. There’s a crisp intensity to each instrument in the mix as Ottum builds little pop symphonies for pop people. “Storms In The Summertime” freaks out with pleasing and novel keyboards. “Work On A Feeling” uses a melodic bass and a tight acoustic guitar-to-drums attack. “Fool In The Night” throws in some imitation tack-piano for extra wanderlust. “Green In The Sun” has a wonderfully Southern California vibe. Not bad for a kid based In Seattle. There’s plenty of California and elsewhere dreaming here. “Secret Age” plays up a bedroom reggae that floats on the Pacific sea breezes of Hawaii’s Jack Johnson. “Not Built For Two” approximates the easy listening of the early ‘70s. “Sittin’ Over There” includes a shimmering keyboard so evocative of the ocean that it’s worthy of being called Yacht Rock. Ottum’s an easy-listening pop lover’s dream.