Mitchel Musso has a song called "Odd Man Out" on his self-titled debut album, and it's not hard to see why he might feel that way. He's best known for playing
Hannah Montana's best friend, and
Mitchel Musso often feels like a less dynamic version of the music put out by Disney's other stars -- namely,
Miley Cyrus and, especially,
the Jonas Brothers. The album delivers everything expected from Disney pop: it's big, it's slick, and it's just as poppy as
Miley's music, but the keyboards are turned down and the guitars, both acoustic and electric, are turned up to give
Musso some
JoBros-like rock cred. Also like both of those acts,
Musso's sound is at least partially rooted in power pop, new wave, and its revivals; songs like "Jessie's Girl" and "Stacey's Mom" could be the great-grandparents of the best moments here. "Shout It" might as well be a
Jonas Brothers outtake, it's so shiny and catchy; "Do It Up" adds a little rock & roll fire courtesy of its handclaps and guitar solos; and "Movin' In" ends the album on a flirty note. As long as
Musso stays within this energetic template, the album chugs right along, but things falter when he strays from it too much. Even though "Odd Man Out" and "The In Crowd" touch on tween issues like popularity and insecurity, they're whiny and overdone. Likewise, "(You Didn't Have To) Walk Away" is a draggy, repetitive ballad.
Musso isn't as convincing on synth-driven songs like "Us Against the World" as he is on the rock-based tracks here -- while his voice isn't bad, it's just not powerful or distinctive enough to stand out on the slicker productions. Ultimately,
Mitchel Musso is pretty good -- he's not as charismatic as some of Disney's bigger stars, but he's not as obnoxious as some of them are, either. ~ Heather Phares