Stephen Bruton - Nothing But The Truth (1998)

Producer Stephen Bruton has been behind the boards for Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Chris Smither, and others -- and after hearing this album, you may wish he'd stay there. Bruton's minimalism proved the perfect approach on Gilmore's landmark, After Awhile, but it's not nearly as successful here. Granted, the bluesy rock instrumentation is competent and an occasional tune ("Dogs May Bark") shows potential. But some of the lyrics on Nothing But the Truth are cliché ridden, there aren't a lot of interesting musical ideas among these tracks, and Bruton's limited-range vocals can be downright grating at times. Interestingly, he was discovered (in 1971) by Kris Kristofferson -- another songwriter who's not exactly a world-class vocalist.