WAY OUT HERE

Josh Thompson first received attention as the professional songwriter who penned the title track for Jason Michael Carroll's second album, Growing Up Is Getting Old, so it's not entirely a surprise that Thompson's 2010 debut, Way Out Here, is cut from the same nostalgic cloth as Growing Up, containing paeans to small towns ruled by John Wayne, Johnny Cash, and John Deere, and laying all blame at the feet of Waylon Jennings. Clearly, with all this name-dropping -- and that's only the tip of the iceberg, as there's lovemaking to Haggard cassettes -- Thompson intends to have some outlaw dust rub off on his shoulders, and he does keep things pretty lean even if Thompson seems a little bit too clean to be rowdy. Nevertheless, he's a good craftsman -- "Beer on the Table" not only kicks, it has a couple of sly lyrical phrases, and he has a nice, gentle touch with the ballads. Though his essential sweetness can be ingratiating, the singles are the kind that gain strength with repetition. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi