Prayer of a Common Man (CD - 2008)

Recording information: Firehouse Recording Studios, Pasadena, CA; House Of Gain, Franklin, TN; Little Big Studio, Nashville, TN; Short Elvis Studio, Nashville, TN; SOund Kitchen, Franklin, TN; Starstruck, Nashville, TN; The Tin Ear, Nashville, TN.

While Nashville's Phil Vassar has been a fixture on the country music scene since 2000, this album--especially its single "This is My Life"--finds the singer-songwriter playing catchy piano pop with amiably self-assured lyrics and upbeat melodies that would feel right at home on a mid-period Billy Joel album.

The fourth album by Nashville singer-songwriter Phil Vassar, his first for new label Universal South, continues in the heartfelt tradition of its three predecessors. Vassar, who has penned hits for stars like Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw, and Alan Jackson, is a country classicist at heart, and songs like the first single "Love Is A Beautiful Thing" and "My Chevrolet" have the neo-traditionalist vibe of vintage George Strait. Other highlights include the earnest title track and the rollicking "Baby Rocks." minimize