Vocalist
Michael Grimm's 2011 self-titled major-label debut builds upon the singer's soulful mix of Southern rock and R&B that helped him win the fifth season of the reality TV vocal competition America's Got Talent. Although
Grimm has released several independent albums over the years, in many ways this album is his real introduction to most music fans and certainly maximizes his potential as a rootsy yet blue-eyed soul singer. Produced by journeyman musician Don Was, the album is a slick if still organic-sounding release, the kind that artists like
Hall & Oates,
the Allman Brothers,
Otis Redding, and
Donny Hathaway excelled at during the '70s and '80s. The comparison fits, as
Grimm is the kind of vocalist perfectly suited for this sort of earnest, bluesy pop/rock. To these ends, listeners get the bold and fiery leadoff duet with
Heart's
Ann Wilson on
Buddy Miller's "Gasoline and Matches" as well as a handful of other inspired covers, including a spine-tingling version of
Alicia Keys' "Fallin'," a gritty duet with
Travis Tritt on
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man," and a gorgeous, perhaps definitive take on
Chuck Prophet's "No Other Love." A songwriter in his own right,
Grimm's compositions here are also quite good and add to the album's overall genuine tone. Ultimately, tracks like the
Traffic-sounding slow-burn ballad "Stay with Me (Baby)" -- as well as the old
Rod Stewart feature of the same name that he also covers here -- with
Grimm clearly giving it all he's got, leave you with the impression that, while
Grimm is obviously not fronting
the Faces, he is certainly kicking ass. ~ Matt Collar