Not to be confused with that other Tucker Band (Marshall, that is), the Kyle Tucker Band has more in common with Counting Crows and Dave Matthews than The Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynrd. Hailing from Manhattan, the band took second place (out of 6000) in the Emergenza unsigned band contest, proving, perhaps, that that while great salsa might not come from New York City, great Americana certainly does.

Like the song goes, Kyle Tucker Band is "a little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll", and their country side - while prevalent throughout the album - is definitely frontloaded. Everything starts out with the anthemic title track, which, along with "Come On In" and "Skippin Stones" (the next two tracks) represent just one side of the band. Thematically and sonically darker are Tracks 4 and 11 ("Ordinary Days" and "Nothing To Prove"), which could very well be Counting Crows covers (though Kyle, of course, lacks Adam Duritz's signature hair), and Tracks 6 and 9 ("You" and "Mission Plaza"), which have definite shades of Coldplay amidst their lush, radio-friendly soundscapes.

Favorite Track: Track 11, “Nothing To Prove”

Michael Fiegel is a freelance writer and graphic designer. His diverse background includes journalism, radio copywriting, technical writing, game design and music reviewing. He is best known as the creator of the Internet cult sensation, Ninja Burger. He can be reached at aeon@aeforge.com or at his website, www.aeforge.com.