Timbre Project

Despite what the title says, project helmsman Jaime d'Almeida did not ruin his songs. In fact, this is a fine assortment of nice folky guitar pop. The Boston-based D'Almedia does most of the duties himself, but there are a load of guest contributors that help out on other guitars (including the lovely pedal steel), vocals and strings. It's hard to tell whether his angle is entirely "tongue in cheek," since he included radio promo spots and lots of witty and earnest liner notes. Nevertheless, the songs themselves are catchy and lyrically interesting, even if he sings, "I'm fumbling around trying to figure it out," on "Write This Song." A true singer-songwriter, d'Almeida is a crafty storyteller throughout the album's 14 songs, and the variation of styles makes this a fun album that is much more accomplished than he might suggest.