Owing to the instantly recognizable style of earnest radio landlords like Five For Fighting, Kear conjures up soulful, ultimately memorable mainstream acoustic pop. He's darn good, and his song Forever Valentine sure sounds like something big to us. - NASHVILLE RAGE

Where is the next generation of American rock 'n roll artists? What ever happened to the Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Bob Dylan's of the world? We've been waiting. Patiently I might add. The music still spills from the FM static on busted car speakers and the second-hand stereos in low-rent apartments across mid-America, but the heart that used to be the lifeblood of heartland rock and roll has gone missing. Kidnapped for at least a decade. Don't pay the ransom folks, that's all about to change..

Josh Kear is writing music that is striking a chord with listeners who once again want their music to not only sound good, but to mean something as well. "Every song is a little movie. A little play. A short story. Y