** Martin Sexton

THE AMERICAN

(Atlantic)

If you've ever had the pleasure of being steamrolled by Martin Sexton's vocal gymnastics live, you know that for the Massachusetts folk-circuit fave, singing is his way of slipping into raspy Armstrong scats, High Lonesome Prairie yodels, barstool blues moans, and the best Billie Holiday impression this side of Joey Arias. His two previous indie outings did their part to capture all this, which is why The American, his major-label leap, is such a disappointment. Traces of the unfettered Sexton -- the one who thinks he's a trumpet, the one who smacked his mikestand to the stage last time I saw him perform -- do occasionally sneak in, and when they do, the results are transcendent. But because Sexton and one-time Billy Joel producer Danny Kortchmar seem so amped for a VHI invasion, The American tightens the reins on Sexton the singer and shines too much light on Sexton the songwriter (a role he is still figuring out how to play). Recycled Sexton stand-bys like "The Way I Am" and "Glory Bound" hold up fine, but on newer creations you can almost hear the AOR rope tying him to the middle of the road.

-- Josh Kun