BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (724385671623)

On their self-titled album, Blessid Union Of Souls presents an eclectic blend of seamlessly integrated styles, incorporating homegrown pop with a rich, state-of-the-art sonic palette. Emphatic vocals dripping with the sincerity of coffeehouse folk are enhanced by rich layering and slick production. Acoustic instruments mix with grunge guitars and studio tricks.

Vocalist Eliot Sloan plays up his sensitive side--he really, really wants to be your friend, darn it! The album's many ballad-tempo numbers help that effort along, often breaking down to just Sloan's earnest voice, accompanied by his just-as-earnest piano playing. "Humble Star" provides the album's ambitious production epic; pure Beatles in arrangement--strings, horns and harmonies, giving way to samples, drum loops, and space-age keyboard sounds.