Former
Ben Folds collaborator
Evan Olson gets to the heart of the matter on his second release. Swollen to the tune of 21 songs,
Red is a harmless record about relationships, failure, and, occasionally, fun. From tender ballads to '80s-style rockers, there is little flow and a lot of river.
Olson is a talented fellow, though, and he hits his stride on songs like "Vegas Bound" and shows off a nice tenor on the moody "Way to Love"." Well-crafted pop confections abound, and this self-recorded, self-produced confessional is just loose enough to be enjoyable, despite its meandering course. ~ James Christopher Monger