Recorded before the Sony/BMG merger put an end to his affiliation with RCA, singer/songwriter David Mead managed to survive record company legalese and emerge to release the finest tracks from his 2002 recording sessions with Stephen Hague (New Order, Blur, Pet Shop Boys). And fans of intelligent pop from Josh Rouse to Paul McCartney will relish in Wherever You Are’s lilting, winsome title cut. EPs are rarely this accomplished or appealing, but the subtle groove of “Hold On” and the swooning “Astronaut” find Mead taking flight. From the lucid, midtempo “Only a Dream” to the big, pulsing shoulda-been-a-single-contender known as “Make It Right,” Mead — one of our most underappreciated, fluid songwriters — gets the balance right as art triumphs over commerce. – John D. Luerssen