Who You Are (Bonus Track Version)

There’s a smoothness to Cary Brothers that recalls a similar sleekness coloring the work of another well-educated, stylized songwriter: Duncan Sheik. At times, Brothers sounds so comfortable with his surroundings that the ease threatens to tilt the balance. But these aren’t meant to be songs of unreserved uplift. There’s struggle involved. So the anthemic, cathartic chorus of “The Glass Parade” may be a bit much, but the quiet, dropping piano notes of “Honestly” put things in perfect perspective. Brothers had an unusual entry into the music business; he met Scrubs’ star Zach Braff in college. Braff featured Brothers’ music in his film Garden State and Brothers has since had his music appear onBones, Smallville, Grey’s Anatomy and ER. There’s certainly a melodramatic aspect to his music that makes it a natural fit for television, but it’s most effectively brought to life with the piano and strings that haunt “Loneliest Girl in the World.”