CD Reviews: Andy Grammer

Three years after his self-titled 2011 debut album, Andy Grammer's sophomore effort might be an attempt to build on the success of hit single Keep Your Head Up, yet the former Santa Monica busker merely offers stale renditions of primetime adult radio fodder.

The recipe reads as follows: introduce with a finger-picked guitar or spare piano; follow with a hip-hop beat that is augmented by staccato dance/drum programming; add massive chants/harmonies in the chorus; pause for brief calm; do it all again.

Expect to hear it at a gym near you ... soon.

• Andy Grammer. Magazines or Novels. Liberator Music/S-Curve Records.

•  Two stars (out of five)

Single download: Back Home
For those who like: Maroon 5, One Republic

- Shane Gilchrist