Take It All Away
Key to making sense of the Ryan Cabrera craze is the can't-argue recognition that chicks dig him: A gig opening forJessica Simpsonand a rumored romance with her sisterAshleesecured early interest in this debut disc. Fortunately for his record company, behind the cute-boy looks and the teen-driven hype hums something more substantial. Careful listeners will hear it not only in the jangly guitars of the MTV hit "On the Way Down," but also throughout the misty-eyed, mournful "She's"; the bite-off-a-lyric-and-spit-it-out rocker "Illusions"; and the sexy,Carlos Santana-styled "Shame on Me." The CD's producer, leadGoo Goo DollJohn Rzeznik, gets credit for sparing Cabrera the career-blowing "It Boy" tag--in addition to pitching in background vocals on a couple of tracks, he steers the set in a Goo-inspired, sunny but still rocking direction. Listeners prone to emotional ODs may take issue with the lyrics, which are often searching and self-involved, but the brightness of the melodies and the loverboy voice rush up to redeem them. Find fault with Cabrera where you will, in other words, but title aside, you can't take it all away from him. --Tammy La Gorce