My guard went up when Rob Hornfeck's latest CD fell out of the coveted yellow envelope from the Score! Music main office. The last time I reviewed a CD with no liner notes and a cheaply printed insert, I ended up using it to experiment with disc flight patterns off my third story balcony. After listening to this CD, I'm happy to say that How Do I Know You won't be taking the quick route to the dumpster.

First, a few gripes. Rob shouldn't sing on his albums. Period. The lyrics are decent, and the recording quality is really quite good, but his vocals don't do the rest of the album justice. When he slips into spoken lyrics on the CD's title track, his voice is bearable. Too bad he didn't do the spoken-word thing more often. Also, some of the solos have a very Rush-inspired quality to them. Some people love that, but I think it's too choppy and repetitive to do on an entire album.

All that being said, How Do I Know You is really a decent little album. For a one-man enterprise, Rob Hornfeck shows that he can create a well-balanced album that is interesting enough to listen to from start to finish in one sitting. The lyrics are half-decent as well, providing a just-right mix of pop hooks, wit, and intelligent repetition.

Is this CD worth the purchase price? Maybe. If How Do I Know You was a movie, I'd tell you to skip it at the theatre, but to rent it at Blockbuster. I'd definitely go see Rob Hornfeck in concert, but I'd waver over whether or not to buy the album.

www.robertek.com