Heartfelt tunes are delivered from the Heartland in this first offering from Missouri native, Darin Crisman. Crisman cites Bob Seeger and Tom Petty as influences, in addition to country stalwarts George Strait, Conway Twitty and Alabama. While there are some guitar riffs any rock band would be proud of, this album is decidely straightforward contemporary country.

Crisman wrote all 11 songs on the CD and shows a flair for imaginative word-play that infuses time-worn country music themes with new vibrancy and meaning. In the album’s third cut, "Got Me Saying Good-bye," the story seems headed down the same path as Travis Tritt’s "Country Club," you know, rich girl getting sparked by the idea of a good time with a poor ole country boy. Instead, Crisman’s hero can’t get the time of day with the lady as she’s always leaving him behind and he’s “saying good-by before he says hello.”

The album opens with the peppy "That Two Step," a story of buddies headed to the local watering hole where one will take a big fall for a woman. The bouncing fiddles of the opener give way to a mournful wail in "Make It Up As I Go Along." While background vocals “lighten the load”, the song exudes a heaviness that comes directly from the burdensome tale of a man who not only feels he has failed as a provider but, in doing so, has unintentionally betrayed all the trust his woman has put in him.

"Back to 'I Do'” is a mid-tempo song whose honest, aching lyrics bemoan a love that has lost its way. This plaintive tune is followed by a brassy, pumping, toe-tapper,"Left Turns Sure Feel Right" about - what else? Driving (fast, of course!).The song is nicely punctuated with tail-end instrumentation that chugs and revs much as a speeding motor wold do.

The title cut on the album is "This Cat Got Ten." It features strong guitar picking, background vocals and a pleasing melody that strikes just the right balance between sentimentality and satisfaction in a story about the power of love. The next cut, "I Wouldn’t Be Me," has a slight Tex-Mex flavor and is a light-hearted look at the twin influences of fate and coincidence in making the love connection. "Father’s Day" is the most immediately touching and engaging song on the album. This tale of a daughter’s love for her father is alternately sorrowful and sweet.

The album closes out with three tunes that invoke various degrees of dejection, distress and self-pity. "The Boss, The Banker And Woman Of Mine" is an upbeat “get-it-all-out” whine from a guy that needs a timeout with a capital “T.” In "The Woman She’s Become," the singer is caught off-guard by how his woman has changed (he took her for granted just too long) and" First Love" is a reflection back on, well, someone’s first love.

Crisman’s lyrics are inspiring yet universally identifiable. While his vocals lack the extended range and depth other artists can demonstrate, they have a sharp, sometimes slightly discordant quality that makes the ears perk up and pay attention.

This first effort is a great beginning for a promising new singer-songwriter.

Mountain West Music 2002