John Hughes

Time

11-song CD

John Hughes first came to my attention last summer when he held the number one spot for many weeks on Neil Young's Living with War web chart with "Bring 'em On," a song that sounded like it could have been done by Neil Young himself. Since then, John has released a new CD that includes another war-chart topper in "Soldier On," a sad tale – complete with strings – of a family losing their son to war. John deals in a solid but gentle rock style in the vein of Tom Petty–even when the drums hit hard and the guitars go into solo mode there's a cushion that lets each song ease its way through. There's a rural feel going on here that paints a scene of John's surroundings– "Panic Mechanic," "Company Town," and "Time for the Night" all contribute to the big picture. His easygoing melodies carry the lyrics of his relatively safe environment with the balance of life's pitfalls in "Taboo," "Soldier On," and "Ginned Up."

(T Max) The Noise: Rock around Boston