Winner of the ninth season of American Idol, the season that will forever be remembered as Simon Cowell’s last, Lee DeWyze somehow eked out a victory against neo-hippie soulster Crystal Bowersox, charming with a smarmy shyness that never quite seemed to jibe with a guy who kicked around bars in the suburbs for the better part of a decade. Other Idol winners were journeymen in disguise -- think cornball Taylor Hicks or well-coifed rocker David Cook -- but DeWyze’s major-label debut, Live It Up, sounds like the work of a local band that was given a chance to run wild in a professional studio. 19 Recordings team their winner with an army of professionals led by Toby Gad and John Shanks but they don’t dictate the direction of the album; they shape DeWyze’s singsong strum-alongs and MOR pop into something resembling a triple-A chart hit, letting similarities to Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, and John Mayer stand strong. DeWyze can wrangle a pleasant melody, particularly when he’s favoring sunswept SoCal folk-pop. When things are light and simple on Live It Up, DeWyze seems like himself. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

1		Live It Up
2		Sweet Serendipity
3		It's Gotta Be Love
4		Dear Isabelle
5		Beautiful Like You
6		Stay Here
7		Me and My Jealousy
8		Brooklyn Bridge
9		Weightless
10		Earth Stood Still
11		A Song About Love

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow