Thank you, Will Cheshier. Thank you for not being afraid of a little honesty in your songwriting. This most important of virtues is sorely lacking in too much of today's music.

While a legion of wannabe rockers is screaming about the daily end-of-the-world tragedies they face, or the never-gonna-be-that-good-again bedsheet romp they had last night, Cheshier is busy singing about beautiful, compelling, poignant reality. Heart-wrenching romantic notions that never come out right. The average Bob who screws himself into the ground for the Goddess who will never know he exists. Busting one's ass in a menial 11-to-9 job to support that addiction to fame that never gets satisfied.

I appreciated Cheshire's take on songwriting, but his guitar skills are what make eleven to nine stand out. The entire album consists of voice over guitar, which can make for a very boring listening experience. Thankfully, Cheshier mixes a variety of six-string sounds, from the driven chug on "the heart of a fool" to the flowing line that gives "song for no one" its strong emotional pull. While the CD never distracts from what you're doing while listening (the album screams for a stool and mic in the corner of a pre-Starbuck's coffeehouse), it does occasionally grab your attention with its witty hooks and surprisingly full sound.

With the guitar on eleven to nine as good as it is, it's a shame that Cheshire's voice gets away from him. His voice isn't bad, in that it's pretty much in tune and not unpleasant to listen to. The problem arises when he tries to add "style" in the form of aimless vocal licks that wander off to nowhere. If he didn't try so hard to make his voice sound emotional, he would probably sound much better, with the songs more powerful as a result. "song for no one" gets close to his vocal potential, but never reaches it.

I would pay a few bucks or get caffeine-fried on one too many espressos if Will Cheshier was playing at a local spot. I doubt I would go severely out of my way to see him, though; maybe if he was playing guitar for another singer. eleven to nine should get Will Cheshier a good bit of work – it's an excellent demo CD. As far as buying this CD goes, I'd probably wait for a full-length album before I plunk down more than a cover charge.

http://www.willcheshier.com