Reviewed by Tony Cummings

With a sleeve photo which makes Drake look like a boy band wannabe I almost fell into the trap of judging a book (well, a CD actually) by its cover. But there's more to this Georgia-based singer/songwriter than meets the eye. "Right For Me", the best of the five tracks on this, his nationally released debut, is already getting airplay on quite a few US stations, or to use Billboard's almost impenetrable industry jargon is one of the "most added soft AC songs." Suffice to say, "Right For Me" is decidedly catchy with a funky groove propelled by some fine R&B-style rhythm guitar which the sleeve tells me is played by one Caleb Butler. Caleb's talents also lift the first two songs, the acoustic-driven "Beautiful From The Inside Out" and the engaging "Only You". Drake's voice is engagingly warm, if not particularly distinctive, and his lyrics hearteningly direct if occasionally teetering a little too close to cliché ("No more guilt, no more shame/No more hurt, no more pain"). But overall this is a well above average release for the 21 year old and you will no doubt be hearing "Right By Me" on Cross Rhythms in the coming months.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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