Joshua Radin - The Rock and the Tide

 Wearing his sensitivity on his sleeve has always come easy to Joshua Radin. A singer/songwriter whose delicate ponderings and warm, usually sunny outpourings have made him a "go-to-guy" for Grey's Anatomy-styled folk ballads, Radin returns with his third full-length The Rock and The Tide October 12 (Mom and Pop). Radin cites Bob Dylan as the chief influence on his writing but his richly melodic mellow folk/pop leans more toward Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, James Taylor and John Mayer. With his scruffy good looks and a singing style that plays his raspy whisper for intimacy, Radin finds that savvy space between the sticky-sweet and the substantial, a charmer who thankfully keeps the treacle in check with a disarming sincerity.

Radin's music rarely threatens or provokes, the veneer on new songs such as "Brand New Day", the new album's jangley lead track, remains shiny and unmarred. But the innocuous nature of his writing shouldn't stand in the way of the modest pleasures at work here. The earthy "You Got What I Need" ventures into Ray LaMontagne territory with a dark, soulful side -- dig the ripe Hammond B3 shadings -- that's a welcome respite. "Streetlight" flirts with a spirited kick in it's stride, Radin's slight quiver of a voice balanced by a piano-centric full production. There's still lots of sunshine streaming through The Rock and the Tide, but Radin smartly drawing the shades now and then helps keep things interesting.

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Joshua Radin - "Streetlight" (from the album The Rock and the Tide)

Joshua Radin - "You Got What I Need" (from the album The Rock and the Tide)