Hard Times Happen

Many of you may not be familiar with the name Josh Kelley, but if you have an adult contemporary station on your radio preset, there is a very good chance you have heard his song, Amazing quite frequently. The song was safe and could be enjoyed by soccer moms everywhere. I haven’t heard anything else of his until I heard his latest album, Almost Honest and it rarely deviates from the successful Amazing.

The album starts off with Walk Fast, which sounds like he trying to make into a soul song, but isn’t quite able to pull it off. Same goes for Only You that tries to pull off a funky groove. Kelley attempts to recapture the feeling of Amazing with Love Is Breaking My Heart. That goes pretty well until the song just ends abruptly for no apparent reason. I really hate it when songs do that. The album takes a southern feeling on 20 Miles to Georgia with its slid guitar. Hard Times Happen is another stand out track with its use of a chorus. Kelley also puts on his best Jeff Buckley impersonation during Shameless Heart by repeatedly going falsetto. But, needless to say, he’s no Jeff Buckley.

Lyrically, he comes off as a parody of other balladeers that have come before him. Almost Honest conjures up thoughts of such silly songs as Said I Love You... But I Lied and I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That). In the end the album sound like watered down versions of Kelley’s influences and I cannot recommend buying this album. Well, unless your mom’s birthday is coming up, she’d probably like it.

Song to Download – 20 Miles to Georgia

Almost Honest gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.