seemed to, well, rise out of nowhere in the early days of 2005, appearing on regularly and receiving the honor of being the first new artist given an entry in Starbucks' series. Of course, this sudden omnipresence didn't happen overnight. The group had been kicking around since the late '90s, appearing on some shows on the 1998 and releasing a bunch of self-released records before signing with in 2004. The band had a studio debut, provisionally titled Drama Club, all set to go in 2005 -- as of the first week of May, their bio on their official site concerned the release of Drama Club, which was nowhere on the release schedule on that point -- when the deal materialized and the powers that be decided that launching via a Starbucks-sponsored release was a better move than dumping the major-label debut onto the market. Frankly, it was a smart move, because that release, , is the kind of that was all the rage in the late '90s and what the Starbucks demographic was likely craving: tasteful, earnest, ambitious, -oriented , equal parts , , and , with a touch of the sassy spunk of a or . By all accounts, rocks harder in its other material -- both in concert and on record -- but this live-in-the-studio, acoustic-based set of material (comprised of both newer and older songs), showcases the band's most commercial and appealing elements rather effectively. Lead singer/songwriter has a powerful, soulful voice that helps give the classy, generally laid-back music some direction and life, which is a blessing, since the clean, clear production makes the band sound a little bit too close to background music for comfort. Which is why is part of the Starbucks promotion, of course -- it's a throwback to the glory days of , the perfect soundtrack to an upscale or middlebrow coffeehouse. But it was hard for music like this to get a proper airing in 2005, and more listeners will likely hear through this Starbucks deal than if the band were thrown to the sharks of a traditional major-label launch. And those those listeners who do pick up will find an engaging, accomplished, earnest band giving a good performance -- good enough to make anybody who hears wonder what a full-fledged debut from might be like. So, maybe this does indeed set up the eventual release of Drama Club quite nicely. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine