In the song "Trust Me" by Boston-based solo artist Bleu, he sings, "I'm not above spittin' old cliches ... and I'm not above singing overdone love songs kinda like this one."

At least I cannot pin him down as a liar, because that's exactly what the majority of his new album is: sappy love songs. The album, titled Redhead, is full of overused cliches for lyrics, gently rocking guitar licks leading the melodies and his lover-boy croon filling his sickeningly sweet anthems.

The problem is, as much as I want to dismiss the album as trite John Mayer-ish trash, Bleu can write a good pop tune. He has something that Mayer lacks: testosterone. In the opening track, "I Won't Go Hollywood," Bleu's sugarcoated vocals are wrapped up in an overdriven guitar.

It's a song reminiscent of 1990s acts Better Than Ezra or Toad the Wet Sprocket in their heydays. And it's tracks like these that save Redhead from the Michael Bolton/Air Supply bin at the record store.

Another standout track is the song "Searchin' for the Satellites." With interesting sound effects accompanying a heavily distorted riff, it makes for a spacey sound.

The main complaint I have about the album is that Bleu doesn't seem to realize his strengths. When he slows things down, the songs all sound the same and are usually whiny. But, when the guitars rock out, so does Bleu, and it's hard not to not not to enjoy his carefree ear candy.

This confusion is also inherent in the way in which Bleu views his own music. In a press release, he said, "My music is a mixture of Simon and Garfunkel and Guns 'n' Roses."

To set things straight, his music doesn't even slightly resemble either. While G 'n' R had an appetite for destruction, Bleu probably has an appetite for Dungeons and Dragons and Mountain Dew. And while Simon and Garfunkel were master songwriters, Bleu isn't quite there. But this does not dismiss the possibility. After all, the album shows flashes of a highly capable songwriter. Just keep your eyes (and ears) open.