The Alternate Routes’ debut release is uplifting but rather nondescript guitar-oriented rock, with plenty of soaring guitars and anthemic vocals in the hard-charging tunes that dominate the disc. In the occasional quieter tracks, singer Tim Warren has a light timbre reminiscent (yet not explicitly imitative) of singer/songwriters like Paul Simon or James Taylor; the piano-acoustic guitar-dominated “The Black and the White” is the strongest effort in that regard, though it’s not too typical of the album. A bit of hard rock guitar cockiness rears its head once in a while (as in the closing “Please Don’t Let It Be”), but that influence isn’t too overwhelming either. A group that hews so close to mainstream forms has to have really strong songs, or at least melodic hooks, to make an impact, and they’re not in evidence here. – Richie Unterberger
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