Inside of Blake Stamper there's a great country music singer eager to get out.  Of course, Stamper doesn't seem to be wanting to fit neatly into any niche, which is a good thing in many ways, but when it comes to his debut disc, "The Way Back To Texas," it seems to give a slightly uneven feel as Stamper mixes his wildly eclectic style and various separate inspirations into his self-described "hickabilly" sound.  But with a strong voice, as well as fantastic backup players and singers, and some terrific, foot-tapping songs, Stamper's going to do a few more discs, and he's gonna firm up that solid sound of his own, and it's gonna be a great thing to hear.

The one problem is it seems there are just a few songs which really don't fit with the rest of the disc, tracks which sound far too much like tunes aimed directly at mainstream faux-country radio with all the sappy, overwrought sounds that seem to be so prevalent in the mainstream these days, and I found these tunes particularly jarring when stacked alongside powerful tracks such as the title cut, "The Way Back To Texas," "This Side Of A Heartache," "Wet, Crazy, and Alone," and "Honky-Tonk Hankerin'."  But these are only a few songs, and perhaps they were deliberately produced to aim Blake at a mainstream audience.  And maybe it's only me.  Certainly, I've come to like the disc the more I listen to it, which shows he's got durability.

Even more, I like Stamper because he's got his own, brand-new look, a country singer who looks something like a cross between a biker and a hillbilly farmer (the hickabilly look to go with the hickabilly sound).  It's fresh and new and so is, by and large, his sound.  His voice is rich and mellow, his lyrics are clever, and he's got a great sense of humor.  Keep that up, and he's going to be an artist to watch.

Standout Tracks:  "Honky-Tonk Hankerin'," "Wet, Crazy, and Alone," "This Side of a Heartache," "Christmas Things"

Last Word: Stamper's got a good future ahead of him.  This affable-looking Kentuckian has the chops to really cut a swatch in real country music.

On the Net: www.blakestamper.com