In an era where seemingly every RB artist's voice is digitally molested to resemble something from Daft Punk's "One More Time," Anthony Hamilton (www.anthonyhamilton.com) stands out as a paragon of days when record producers, along with the listening public, valued the sound of an honest-to-God human voice.

Phontes vocals are sparse and genuine, telling tales of real human experience and the emotional aftermath of such. Numerous guest vocalists offer just the right complement and harmony from track to track. Yahzarah does so in particular on If She Breaks Your Heart and If This Is Love, sounding sweetly sentimental yet seductive at the same time.

Some of the most revered musicians are quite often referred to as being an acquired taste though it's also a casual way of saying that their music is wholly inaccessible to most. Tom Waits comes immediately to mind. Much of his music sounds like a cluster of noise and grunts to many, but good luck in getting tickets to his shows.

I believe the exact opposite to be true. Since it went into production, the narrative course resembles the three acts of dramatic theater with Axl Rose a kind of anti-hero.

Theres one thing that any up-and-coming singer-songwriter should take into consideration during the production process and that is to merely strive to be understood. I dont mean that on any metaphorical level, but in the simplest terms possible.

Its been four solo studio releases and Jerry Chapman (www.jerry-chapman.com) has settled into quite a songwriting groove.

Popskull refers to any poorly crafted homemade likker that elicits such a sense of misery the day after drinking that ones feels as if their skull will literally pop. Its said that well-made moonshine, on the other hand, is akin to high art in the distilling cultures.

Doug Davis (www.myspace.com/dougdavis) is no stranger to putting out albums. As a veteran producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, hes worked with artists like Chris Daughtry on the production side and has spent plenty of time in working bands.

For a chance to have your bands CD reviewed, mail it to: YES! Weekly, 5500 Adams Farm Lane, Suite 204, Greensboro, NC 27407. ATTN: Ryan.

Singer/songwriter Greg Humphreys is a man of many faces, musically that is. An artist who escapes categorization, Humphreys was instrumental in the bustling 80s Chapel Hill music scene as singer and guitarist for seminal powerpop band Dillon Fence.

Its amazing to see the proliferation of new roots artists finding success under the progressive bluegrass banner, considering how very little radio play the genre receives in critical markets, in favor of contemporary country.

Some people never really grow up; they just learn to keep their cool in public a little better. This is especially true for Winston-Salems own Ben Folds, who has put together a much celebrated career while never surrendering the jocular wit that imbued his earliest work with the Ben Folds Five and has persisted through his solo career.

Though it still doesnt touch her previous release, Cole will always continue to have fun with her musical career and follow the path of her father (Nat King Cole, maybe youve heard of him). My favorite tracks on this album are Walkin My Baby Back Home (a duet with her father, whom originally recorded it when he was 32), and Coffee Time.

This Swedish indie band was formed in Stockholm in 1999 with the simple band idea that really makes a lot more sense than most crazy labels: It’s the first names of everyone in the trio. Though it will be pretty hard to top their 2006 hit song, “Young Folks,” this new album isn’t bad at all.

For a chance to have your band’s CD reviewed, mail it to: YES! Weekly, 5500 Adams Farm Lane, Suite 204, Greensboro, NC 27407. ATTN: Heather MacIntyre.

The carefree and airy words of these songs were co-written by the duo that chose their name from a Neil Young song. The two we speak of, are singer/songwriter Jim Guthrie and a personal favorite, Nick Thornburn (the Unicorns, Islands).

A band’s first album contains the hit that makes them fans. A band’s second album is generally considered the “sophomore slump,” smart and a good mix of what you did right the first time, with room to improve and spend more time and money on what you.

Anyone can appreciate the messages of the album track by track; there isn’t really a dull song that you press “skip” to get through once you’ve heard them all. The production of the album isn’t as rough and messy as most do-it-yourself records these days — and they didn’t have a label to distribute it all for them.

Way oh, way oh, way oh! Who cares what people say, punk is not dead. It’s just on hiatus in most of suburban America — banned to fumed garages, late-night house shows and crappy back-alley venues. But as long as it’s still being played, and albums like this are being put out, I will never lose hope.

Boy, is this Charlotte lad young, but his direction is a lot more mature than most 20-year-olds trying to make it in music right now. However, I think that’s not saying nearly enough, because even if you take away his barely two-decade age, the music is still more than just “good enough.