Andy Hackbarth

Andy Hackbarth is back in Colorado after spending the past four years in Nashville, where the sheen of that town's assembly-line production evidently rubbed off on his music. Just the same, Hackbarth, the son of llama ranchers, is no country bumpkin. In fact, Hackbarth is tailor-made for hot AC radio and would fit seamlessly alongside acts like Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Howie Day and Mat Kearney — though, like that last artist, Hackbarth has a few songs here that sound like they could just as easily sneak their way onto a contemporary-Christian playlist. Unfortunately, he also has one other thing in common: After a half-dozen or so tunes, the songs sort of become interchangeable. And despite some solid playing, there's a distinct lack of emotion coloring the tracks, leaving them feeling a bit one-dimensional.