Just A Songwriter (Hayden's Ferry, 2003)

Canadian country/pop singer/songwriter/producer Kenny Butterill has a smooth delivery and a low key manner on his sophomore album. Butterill's affinity for the quirky side of country is balanced by his obvious ability to access the commercial aspects of the genre, like a songwriting gene splice between Hoyt Axton ("Vegetarian Dead Cow Blues," "The Townes You Left Behind," "Gotta Find a Woman") and Mac Davis ("A Couple of Lines, the title track). If there are downsides to Butterill's presentation, it's in his overpolishing of the sonics to a glossy finish and a tendency toward telegraphing the obvious in his lyrics. These minor points aside, Butterill has crafted a satisfying album of pop-dipped country.

With a little more lyrical mystery and little less tinkering in the control room, and he'll have this thing nailed down tight.