Wings Of A Honky Tonk Angel (Epic, 2002)

Even though Brad Martin sings in a nicely robust middle range, his wings have been clipped by too much indistinctive material on his debut, a collection of cookie-cutter radio songs that just happen do be sung quite well.

A prime example of this album's San Andreas-sized fault is the song "Completely," which makes Martin sound like he's covering a bland Lonestar ballad on karaoke night. Then with the song "Run To Me," he creates a little mock drama on this tune's upbeat offer of romantic shelter. The affect is a lot like watching a film when you just can't suspend disbelief; you're always too aware that you're only watching a movie.

A few of these songs are barroom-related ("The Fifth," "Damn The Whiskey"), but they don't put that fear of God into you, like when George Jones deals with the devil in the bottle. Martin fairs much better on more lighthearted material, exemplified by the happy-go-lucky way "Rub Me The Right Way" skips along, or how he empathetically portrays the love of a woman on "That's A Woman." Rather than being any kind of an epic musical journey, "Wings" is little more than a routine domestic flight.