"On his latest offering, Boston's Todd Thibaud steps beyond the folksy acoustic roots he established with the Courage Brothers to deliver a solid, muscular with tight arrangements, swirling guitar-hook choruses, and lyrics that ring with equal doses of vigilance, attitude and remorse. Sonically speaking, Thibaud's territory is somewhere in the

"On his latest offering, Boston's Todd Thibaud steps beyond the folksy acoustic roots he established with the Courage Brothers to deliver a solid, muscular with tight arrangements, swirling guitar-hook choruses, and lyrics that ring with equal doses of vigilance, attitude and remorse. Sonically speaking, Thibaud's territory is somewhere in the "electro-melodic-jangly-guitar-pop" range reminiscent of Tom Petty and the Byrds (Rickenbackers as far as the eye can see), perhaps Steve Earle, and maybe even Brooooce. His husky tenor handily covers a wide range of material while calling to mind everyone from Elvis Costello (pre-Bacharach) to more country-leaning cats such as Jeff Tweedy and Bruce Robison. Yet Thibaud sounds familiar without sounding derivative; it would be a mistake to peg him as merely a sum of those who came before him. Little Mystery is a 13-song snapshot of life's smaller moments stitched together with what feels a bit like comfortable loneliness. Full-on garage rockers "Don't Save Me" and "If That's Alright" set the tone, but the restless whispers of heartache on "Anywhere" and "Total Stranger" showcase the subtle intensity of Thibaud's songwriting and his knack for gracefully framing the human condition. The characters in his stories are hopeless romantics, heartbroken lovers, and jaundiced, world-weary cynics whose lives are, if not an open wound, at least an open book. In spite of its ambitious scope, Little Mystery doesn't get bogged down in repetitive, overwrought meanderings or bland, formulaic pop drivel; rather, it resonates with Thibaud's sense of blue-collar economy. There isn't any wasted space on this record, nor a throwaway song in the bunch."