Trouble Is Real (2005)

Armed with a smoldering baritone equally suited to seething political back talk and soothing romantic soliloquies, this Scottish-born folk troubadour is attuned to emotional frequencies beyond his 21 years. On songs like ''Behind the Front Lines'' and ''Break So Easy,'' his breathy idealism brings to mind greener shades of Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel. And though some tracks on Trouble is Real flaunt overproduced orchestral flourishes and aimless eclecticism, at their core is a bright-eyed voice unafraid to search for his natural sound.

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