Hollywood Records
2005
Almost Honest
About This Album
Josh Kelley follows his polite 2003 debut, For the Ride Home, with a great leap forward called Almost Honest. For his second record, Kelley has expanded his songwriting palette past the jangly John Mayer comparisons to incorporate a slick, funky pop sound comparable to Maroon 5 or Rob Thomas' solo work. (In fact, Honest was produced by Matt Wallace, who also helmed Maroon's breakthrough, Songs About Jane.) The strong late-album cut "Hard Times Happen" could be a Jane outtake, while opener "Walk Fast" is irresistibly slinky, and possessed of a rhythm somewhere around Steely Dan. Kelley co-wrote the lead single "Only You" with the Matrix, and it bears some of the pop hitmakers' signature touches -- a processed guitar cuts through the verses over warm electronic programming, and its chorus grabs you with weird lyrics about acting "all sweetness" that nevertheless sound perfect to your tapping foot. This veer left from adult alternative, singer/songwriter shagginess does wonders for Kelley. As affable as his debut was, it was also cut from the Mayer cloth, a place where everything's a wonderland but nothing's memorable. In Almost Honest, Kelley has a confident modern pop album that's melodic and ultra-accessible, but also packed with vibrant, interesting songwriting.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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