There's a lot of talented people out there in the big world.  Take New York's Jefferson Thomas: he's an excellent guitarist and arranger, and he wants you to hear his new album, Heavy Rotation.  You're probably wondering, "Why bother?"

Well for starters, Jefferson Thomas doesn't have a deal with a huge record company.  His songs, like the hard rocking "Another Year," have the sort of polish generally found on big dollar releases.  Jefferson Thomas is one singer/songwriter, a guy without a hype-machine guaranteed to get him airplay on some carbon-copy ClearChannel radio station.  His hooky, earnest songwriting sometimes sounds like the Wallflowers ("Gold"), and other times like Eagles inspired southern California rock ("Grand Central Station").  Hooky charm abounds in the playful power pop of "Eyeball," as 12-string guitars mix expertly with a Velcro chorus.

Heavy Rotation is often a simple guitar/bass/drum affair, and there are flourishes of strings and keyboards.  But it's Jefferson Thomas' raspy tenor voice that fuels the music.  Add Jefferson Thomas to the "A List" of pure 21st century rock and roll.

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