Glassjaw Boxer by The Sixers (CD, Jun-2007, Everfine Records)

Every once in a while, you run acrost an album that is head and shoulders above others, one that just stands out as a "Wow" album, an album invested with care, talent, that certain indescribable "something".

Out of all the albums on my Ipod, and in my extensive collection, I can think of maybe a half dozen that fit this criteria....Dark at the End of the Tunnel, Mad Season, Eye to the Telescope, And Now It's Come to This. Showcase albums, which you hope and pray are just a harbinger of delicious musical things that may come later.

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers' Glassjaw Boxer is such an album.

This is one of the most personal albums I've ever heard. The music is tuneful, the lyrics are intelligent and heartfelt, and the whole combination is just addictive.

Musically, the song order is perfect. One amazing song flows into another. But each song tells a unique story, and in a way, the layout is a relief, because I feel like I "know" SK very well after working my way through the entire album.

This will be a bad comparison, but it's like reading a book with a very happy ending in the first chapter, that the rest of the book eventually reaches after a number of trials. Only this isn't a sad book, and it's certainly not a sad album.

The first cut is Sweet Sophia, which is a gorgeous song about someone who is loved very much. And I'm glad it's first, because I know right away that whatever follows afterwards, ultimately it resulted in this love. (I cheated and looked at the liner notes, with it's dedication to Sophia.)

Glassjaw Boxer is a sharp smack at critics, and a smartly written analogy of life on the road with the band.

In some ways, as in Cabin in the Woods, but particularly on 4th of July, I feel like I'm getting an embarrassing peepshow into someone's heart and soul, but it's OK, because he seems to want to share. Remember, he's past that (witness Sweet Sophia). And regardless, it's a fabulous song. You will be singing and whistling this song long after you've put the Ipod on the charger.

There is no bad song on this album. Every time I listen to it, I greet each song as a friend, and there is no temptation to fast forward and skip any songs.

There's a taste of everything in SK6ERS music, country, pop, rock, some very acoustic stuff, some not. Blend it up, and you get something out of the mainstream (although this album ought to send them there, if life were fair, which it's not, as these songs constantly remind us).

Stephen has a unique voice, both singingwise and lyrically, the band is talented (and very engaging live!!!!), the album is beautifully and professionally produced.