Hendrick

There's no doubting the pop sensibilities of Josh Hendrick, frontman for the band that bears his last name, and, from the start of this five-track extended play release, it's this sensibility that shines through.

Yep, Hendrick is a rock band that plays pop music and, yes, that means this band gets filed under the pop-rock category. But, at least so far as Hendrick is concerned, that's not necessarily a death blow, 'cause, at times, the band really touches on some interesting Lifehouse-by-way-of-Coldplay territory here—which, I swear, isn't as bad as it sounds. It's kind of like Top 40 radio, actually: It's pretty great, but in spurts.

And, true, that analogy is twofold; Hendrick's sound and cohesiveness reek of radio-friendly fare. But, again, that's not a bad thing. There's a reason radio still exists these days: to give people who don't necessarily love music a place where they can still find some pleasing tunes. And Hendrick's music here is quite pleasing, in fact. Which is why it almost sounds like Hendrick—the singer, not the band—is speaking directly to radio station programmers when he sings "If I'm going down, you're going down" on the catchy album opener, "You Gon Drown." If Hendrick—the band, not the singer—can't find an audience, no band can.