This I Gotta See (RCA, 2004)

After two uneven albums that generated some modest hits, but no breakthroughs, Andy Griggs turned to veteran producer/guitarist Randy Scruggs for his third CD. The result is his strongest album yet-but alas, it's still not a knockout.

The Louisiana native's voice is front and center on the new release, and that's as it should be; he's got one of the most distinctive voices in country music today. Scruggs' production also comes through big-time on such numbers as the opening title track and the two songs Griggs co-wrote, the semi-autobiographical "Hillbilly Band" and the part-rootsy, part-pop/rock "My Kind of Beautiful."

But despite the highlights, the album falls short on a couple of songs that fail to leave a lasting impression. They're not bad, but they're not memorable, either. Griggs says that he had eight songs written or co-written for the album before scrapping them in favor of others, and one can't help but wonder whether that was the best move. Modesty's a good thing, but it can be overdone. Still, this latest CD marks a noticeable improvement over previous efforts and makes Andy Griggs an artist to watch.