Tenderheart

The accumulation of these sugary notes over the course of 45 minutes can feel somewhat sticky. This a good album, and everyone loves a bit of syrup--but you have to know when to draw the line.

It’s hard to follow any Ry Cooder assisted act, but Outlaw coalesces around his own, more intimate sound. We can always use an honest, unpretentious Sunday morning album to enhance the usually easygoing mood, and for those moments Sam Outlaw’s unassumingly enjoyable Tenderheart hits the mark.

The sound here is occasionally brasher--most notably on the gentle opener “Everyone’s Looking For Home”, suddenly overwhelmed by a startling, brash mariachi climax--but generally sticks fairly close to the Laurel Canyon soundalike stylings of Outlaw’s “SoCal” sound.

The songwriting and performances on Tenderheart pop when he integrates up-tempo and driving qualities with soft and steady vocal deliveries, aspects presented by both the excellent title track and the out-and-out rocker single “Trouble”. But, Outlaw closes the album similarly to its opening: quiet, subdued, and largely opposite the feelings he creates in its middle.