Kai Brown Entertainment Art “Better Now” (How Now Brown Cow) Released July 26, 2005

At first thought, the casual listener will think that his album “Better Now” sounds exactly like most syndicated rock artists, from the Gin Blossoms to Sugar Ray. In fact, one can almost hear the station ID of our “favorite” local syndicated stations after the first song.

Readers of the many how-to books for success in the music industry will often see this advice: “Make your first three songs the best, because if a label doesn’t like it after three songs, it’ll go in the trash.” It’s an unfortunate fact that artists and producers must aim to avoid this principle, corrupting the originality of the art. Kai Brown’s album shows this, as the first three songs are of a much different wavelength than the rest of the album.

Unfortunately, the opening songs also sound like syndicated-radio-rock. This is not to say that the songs are bad; it could just be the production that causes the uncanny resemblance to 600 other artists.

Word of advice: start the album from track 4. Kai Brown sparkles on the rest of the album, with soulful coffeehouse melodies and clever hooks. The guitar solos are genuine, the lyrics actually feel deep, and even the harmonica sings like a bird. Kai opens his heart completely on this album, singing about lost love, shame, saying goodbye, and trust. If you thought Matchbox Twenty was emotional-male rock, try this lyric, from the song “Everyday”: “Hey you know I’ve been thinking a lot / about you and all that I’m not.”

If the promotional approach of the opening trio of songs isn’t too much to bear on “Better Now,” look forward to hearing a humble songwriter bare his soul to the world.

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