Friday Freebie.

Early last year, I featured Later, the impressive debut from then 19-year-old John Krueger which came in at #90 on my year-end top 125. He's just released a followup, titled Rock & Rhyme, and the best part is that it's free for download from his official site. I haven't listened to it yet, but if it's anything like the first, fans of the Bens (Folds, Kweller, Lee) will dig it big-time. If you want to sample before downloading, or end up liking it so much you want the CD, it can be found at the Baby.

CD of the Day, 1/24/07: John Krueger-Later

Augusta, Georgia is famously known as the home of The Masters golf tournament, but now has something to recommend itself to the power pop world: 19-year-old John Krueger, whose debut disc Later is something more than par for the course. It'd probably be more appropriate if his name was Ben Krueger, since his sound is reminiscent of The Bens (Kweller, Lee & Folds), and there's also some Guster in there as well as another teen who made a nice debut last year, Evan Hillhouse.

"Can't Take That Away" opens the disc, and it's catchy as anything you'll likely hear this year. It would have fit right on the last Ben Kweller disc, and the "Twist & Shout"-like "ah, ah, AH"s are a nice touch. "Ohio" is a wistful piano ballad about his days spent growing up in Columbus, and shows a lyrical and musical maturity beyond his years, and "I Don't Have a Band" is his acoustic answer to those who might be looking for a bigger sound. "Message" is another catchy track as well, and "It Takes Time" closes the disc with a piano ballad as good as any ballad Folds has recorded.

As is often the case, the Baby is the best place to sample and buy, and "Can't Take That Away", "I Don't Have a Band" and "Message" are all streaming at his myspace page. There are also a couple of additional tracks streaming at his own site.