Ryan Tennis, "Pack Light But Bring Everything"

Ryan Tennis's first full-length album is an appealing combination of thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics, catchy melodies, and serious reflection on what it means to be adventurous and faithful, in love and in lust. Tennis is fearless -- he's willing to smear his heart all over his sleeve and hold it out in front of you, but also self-aware enough to make fun of himself for doing it (as in the goofy "Classic Overshare"). Pack Light But Bring Everything is mostly a breakup record (with the notable exception of Chris Grunwald’s “Already Been Down This Road Before”, which gets into political protest), but it’s mostly upbeat, which means that listening to lyrics about bitterness and heartbreak will actually leave you feeling better, not worse. And it’s complicated, quality pop music, as Tennis has chosen his Clubhouse Band well. The album includes backing vocals from several women (like Sonja Bontrager, Annachristie Sadler and Mieka Pauley) who are headliners in their own right, and the rest of the liner notes read like a who’s who of internationally-touring musicians from the Philly music scene (Ross Bellenoit, with the Sweetback Sisters; Patrick Hughes, with Melody Gardot; Jaron Olevsky and Freddie Berman, with Amos Lee). In this crowded local scene, Ryan Tennis rises as one of the best songwriters, and one of those most likely to break through to a national audience. It should happen with this album, if it gets the attention it deserves.

(iTunes review)