Besides his incredibly irksome hit cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" which has more than outstayed its welcome on AC radio, Uncle Kracker is in fact brimming with wit and talent. He proves this on his third full-length studio album "Seventy Two and Sunny," which debuted at #39 on Billboard's album chart. Off to a slow start, the fact that "Drift Away" is still in the top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart might explain the lack of support for the new album's first single "Rescue Me". Written by songwriting legend Diane Warren, the song fits Uncle Kracker like a glove. Those who have written him off as just another white rapper certainly have much to be surprised about on this release. Though it is not authentic, "Seventy Two and Sunny" takes on a decidedly country-esque vibe. Although it was not as impressive, 2002's "No Stranger to Shame" took some inspiration from Motown and also yielded optimistic results. What ultimately makes this release solid, however, is that there is not a trace of filler; each song is an essential part to the whole that is the album with a catchy melody all its own. With a particularly infectious chorus and heartfelt lyrics that beckon attentive listening with a sincere urgency rather than corniness, "Don't Know How," which he co-wrote with country music tunesmith Frank Myers, is the album's highlight and a potential smash single. "You said that time would ease the pain/But I still hear your voice whisper my name/Since you've been gone my world stands still/You said I'd forget, but I never will/Don't know how/Don't know how/Don't know how not to love you." With a great deal of talent and appeal packed into "Seventy Two and Sunny," it is a waste that Uncle Kracker is not selling more copies and garnering better publicity. If his record company decides to step up to the plate and give him better promotion it is for certain that they could turn this album into the hit it deserves to be.