Anders Parker flies just under the radar the way many great indie acts have to now. With a style similar to Jim James of My Morning Jacket (but not that terrible solo album James released) he could easily be exposed to a much larger audience but simply hasn’t gotten the recognition. Using his strong songwriting and a mixture of delicate ballads and edgy rockers he has all the tools that James has, just not the fanfare.

The title There’s A Bluebird In My Heart makes it sound like you are going to get a mushy bunch of acoustic numbers but that isn’t entirely true. There are a good share of soft rockers here like “Don’t Let The Darkness In” and “Silver Yonder” but Parker turns up the amps long enough to keep you from getting complacent. The 8-plus minute “The Road” opens the record with edge having a driving drum beat and some solid but patient riffs awaiting you as you get further into the song. “Animals”  is where Parker lets the most raunchy guitar loose as the guitar line mimics the vocals and follows along the stompy beat creating the album’s most appealing track.

As the record winds, Parker lets loose on another rocker clocking in at over 8 minutes with the song “Jackbooted Thugs” and bookends the album well as the middle of it sticks with a pretty consistent slower pace. The songs here rival anything he wrote with Varnaline and once again prove that Parker is, in fact, an underrated songwriter.

Key Tracks: “Animal” “The Road” “Don’t Let The Darkness In”