Todd Fritsch: Sawdust

After his first album (Todd Fritsch, 2005) some heralded rancher-turned-crooner Todd Fritsch as bringing a new authentic voice to contemporary country. But after listening to this follow-up, Sawdust, it seems like Todd Fritsch has been sacrificed by a Nashville that feels most comfortable with homogenized, industrially-produced pablum. While this album delivers a decent sampling of the narrow musical range of Top 40 flavors — dance tunes, ballads, and jingoistic country boosters — they are uninspired. I never thought I’d miss radio commercials, but this 17-song collection made me desperate for something to break up the monotony.