George Christiansen's latest effort, Photosynthesis, the followup to his 2006 self-titled debut, is a notably stripped-down affair, with about half of the tracks on the album featuring Christiansen accompanying himself on guitar, with playing that at times veers toward jazz and funk territory. Save for the upbeat and bouncy opening track, "300 Days of Sunshine," most of the seven songs on this album are laid-back, breezy numbers driven by the singer's rich vocals, while the instrumental, "Kimberly's Dream," showcases some strong fingerpicking skills. Christiansen has assembled a decent collection of tunes on Photosynthesis, but the songs rarely rise to the level of captivating, which results in the album's being neatly filed into the nice-enough-listen category rather than being considered a must-hear.