I have had the hardest time getting a solid opinion on this album. I love Heath McNease, the hip-hop artist, because of his wit, sarcasm and satire. I even love McNease with his more singer song-writer side that he displayed on Welcome To The Gun Show. The House Always Wins is not a total departure from his previous signer-song writer stint on Shine or even from some of the songs on Gun Show, but yet it feels different. I think the main change is that most of the songs take themselves more seriously. Kind of like having Will Ferrell playing a completely serious role in a movie, it’s just hard to get used to. Now that I have qualified my opinion. I like the album; it has a Jason Mraz/Jack Johnson feel that is easy to love, especially if you are already a fan of the aforementioned artists. Songs like title track keep it light via whistling, even though the song is about losing a significant other to another man. “Too Much Love” has a cool retro keyboard rhythm under the drum and acoustic guitar that give it a unique feel to other artists who are stylistically similar. The lightest moment comes in the form of a cool ditty called “On And Down.” With a playful tune and lyrics about bad luck with women, it’s probably my favorite. “Come Prepared” has a fun rhythm to it and a rhyme to the lyrics that are quite fun. Plus it’s hard to not like a song with hand claps and whistling. “Blend” has a sweet, but not too sweet, love song vibe that is refreshing. This one is sure to get an “aww” out of anyone of the female persuasion. A lot of the other tracks are somewhat somber and slower, which is not my favorite side of McNease, but they are well done non-the-less. Over all I don’t think I like it as much as his previous offering of this vein, Shine, but it is still is another good album by a very talented artist. Let’s face it Heath McNease is not afraid of taking chances. On And Down The House Always Wins Blend Come Prepared