Augustana - All the Stars and Boulevards

From the very town and school that launched Jars of Clay comes another band that will appeal to the masses: Augustana. Following in the vein of many "rock" bands before them, such as Train, Goo Goo Dolls and others, Augustana emerges from the pack of up-and-comers to gladly take the torch from other bands who might be seeing their VH-1 rock credibility fading away.

On All the Stars and Boulevards, emerge is definitely the right word. In this year alone, they will have toured with everyone from the Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls to The Fray, Los Lobos and Snow Patrol. And they will be pleasing the crowd at every one of those places given the melodic nature and fantastic vocals found on the album.

There's no better place to start than "Stars and Boulevards," a track that will have you reaching to replay the track over and over before you even get to the rest of the CD. It begins with a piano that quickly moves into an easy guitar rhythm similar to a Graham Colton track. The chorus is worth the wait, as it's the sing-along rock anthem you love to hear over and over again.

"Wasteland" slows things down to an agreeable tempo that features the moody keyboards that made the Counting Crows' stamp so clear. The vocals here are perfect for the yearning that happens throughout, while maintaining a pleasant melody in its entirety. "Boston" begins as a piano ballad that builds into a string-laced modern rock cry to be somewhere else from the pain in our lives.

"Bullets" definitely evokes images of Our Lady Peace, specifically from the Gravity disc. The vocals of Dan Layus mirror those of OLP singer Raine Maida perfectly here, while the band plays the standard rock formula featuring solos over the bridge and the explosive ending.

All The Stars and Boulevards is a fantastic radio-driven rock record that will become staples in the CD players of teenage girls and 30-something parents. It's just that likeable at all levels. The musicianship is good, the vocals even better and the band definitely knows how to craft a good song.