ReQuest

Pat Flynn earned his stripes as part of New Grass Revival, and he can certainly play that guitar like ringing a bell, although for much of this album he hides that light under the bushel of singing and rhythm work. Still, if you listen to his solo on "In the Middle of the Night" you get an idea of what he can do when he lets loose, and "Mother Lode" convinces in case of any doubt, where he even gets to show his mandolin chops. The album's a mix of originals and covers. There's no doubt he's a talented songwriter (with many credits to his name), with a pleasant, if not distinguished, voice. His material is in the pop-country vein (which qualifies it, really, as new country), with strong melodies and catchy choruses, very pleasant in the moment, but it's debatable whether any of them have any real staying power. His choice of covers is interesting, from "Shape I'm In" to Pete Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer" (given a light, airy treatment) and the traditional "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" (much the same). Flynn's deep Christian beliefs are shown on "The Word," but he doesn't get too preachy. As a longtime Nashville sessioneer, Flynn obviously knows some of Music City's biggest talents, and some help out here, the powers behind the voices. It's clean, not at all controversial, and enjoyable. In other words, it probably qualifies as mainstream country.