Neilson Hubbard-- The Slide Project (E Pluribus Unum 41205)

Neilson Hubbard's debut solo album is a fine pop gem from this budding Jackson, Mississippi singer-songwriter. Lying somewhere between Big Star and Game Theory on the pop spectrum, Hubbard is not afraid to rock pretty.

From his start in the band This Living Hand, he has been able to find the right mix of beauty and sincerity. This is particularly evident on the Soundtrack to the Bible Belt compilation (also on e pluribus unum records), where the songwriter guides his band through a hauntingly lamentful song about Marlon Brando's slide from acting's cutting-edge.

On The Slide Project, Hubbard's lush music gets a bit edgier, with a pop-rock sound under smart lyrics that ring true to the awkward teenager that lives in all of us. The album opens with "Everybody's Doin' It," a great, tongue-in-cheek anthem driven by peer pressure memories and infectious hooks. The album's ensuing subject matter tends to stick to other crucial aspects of our younger selves, such as love, innocence, popularity and summertime. It does so in such a way that it leaves you fondly reminiscing rather than wincing. "Captain of the Teenager's," for instance, is a great cut inspired by Catcher in the Rye. It's a realization of the importance of being true to one's self.

Another fine number, "End of Summer," laments at the universally relatable bum prospect of returning to school in the Fall with the chorus, "It's the end of the summertime / School is a bummer time. . . "

Throughout the album, Hubbard's vocals sit well over interesting, guitar-driven instrumentation that includes smartly-used synths and vibes. A definite "find," The Slide Project is the long-lost soundtrack to all of our high school days. . . and shouldn't be missed.

--- Mark Leta