We already knew that Kristian Bush was a great songwriter. As one half (or one third in the early days) of Sugarland, he produced a run of no-filler albums and provided backup vocals to his professional other half Jennifer Nettles. Nettles is one of the best singers in the business, and released a solo album last year (reviewed here).

While Nettles was promoting her album, Kristian Bush took something of a backseat, but he was connecting with his fans through his web site and releasing song demos on what he called Music Mondays. I wrote about this a while ago. While his gruff voice doesn’t have the range or power of his Sugarland co-worker’s, it’s pleasant enough, in the tradition of singers like John Hiatt and Bruce Robison.

Through the magic of *cough*WiretapStudio*cough*, I was able to create a playlist of my favourite Music Monday songs, and I’ve been looking forward to the official album release.

Which is great. It’s an upbeat collection (including seven of my own Music Mondays playlist), which has a positive, life-affirming vibe. It’s the kind of record that goes along with summer road trips and backyard barbecues. Recommended.