Eric Hutchinson’s lyrics are well written and understandable. The music he creates with his acoustic guitar is infectious-it’ll make you want to air guitar while listening to his album “Sounds Like This.”

The album is groovy and kind of sounds like the blues, but will definitely put you in a happy mood with the mellow strumming of Hutchinson’s guitar. It would be a good album to listen to on a road trip or after a long day.

One of the best songs on the album is “Rock and Roll.” However, it doesn’t sound anything like rock and roll. It’s actually a song about two players who end up together in bed after a night at the bar. The song is different because Hutchinson sings from both points of view of the players. “Rock and Roll” has also been taken up by Warner Bros. and will be hitting the radio this June.

Another song that could be Hutchinson’s next big hit is “Oh!”

“And I’m never sure what I’m living for but it’s always on my mind / Someone comes along, always proves me wrong / Think I’m gonna be fine.”

The song reflects Hutchinson’s inner thoughts as he comes across strangers who share pieces of their lives with him. At the end of the song Hutchinson realizes that he’s a new man because he now “gives a damn.” The chorus is also catchy with a lot of “Oohs.” It’s also an encouraging song for anyone who feels overwhelmed by their problems because it talks about how some people have it worse.

His song “It Hasn’t Been Long Enough” is the perfect song for those on-and-off couples. Many could probably be able to relate to the lyrics “What’s making you believe that the seventh time around is gonna be different?”

The song is a modern mix of the blues and jazz with the guitar, piano and saxophone. If you read the lyrics, it’ll have you saying, “That is so true!” A line that’s especially true is, “I think I’ve been wrong enough to know when I’m right.”

All ten of Hutchinson’s songs are very real, down to earth and easy to relate to because his lyrics are so well thought out. There’s not a single track on the album that someone wouldn’t be able to relate to because he sings about all different types of situations in life. The album really has a lot of soul.

Although Hutchinson has been compared to Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and Paul Simon, his voice is similar to Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. If you enjoy any of those artists, Hutchinson will most likely be on your favorite list as well.

“Sounds Like This” is Hutchinson’s first mainstream album. It’s already number one on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and number 5 on iTunes’ Top 10 album chart.

Typhani Yang can be reached at [email protected]