MANILA, Philippines?Sometimes, less is more. A man and his guitar, for example, can sometimes sound better than a man, a full band and a production team, complete with a couple of name producers. Secondhand Serenade, otherwise known as singer/songwriter John Vesely, amassed a fan base and got himself a record deal after he posted his self-produced album, ?Awake,? on MySpace a few years ago, and he seemed to embody this idea.

That was then, however, before fame, a bigger budget, and the recording companies came knocking. Now, Vesely apparently likes the idea of more being more, something that?s immediately apparent in his follow-up album, ?A Twist In My Story.?

Produced by Danny Lohner (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), with Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne, All-American Rejects) lending his production expertise to the song, ?Fall For You,? Vesely?s sophomore album has a bigger, more polished sound. Some songs from ?Awake??like ?Your Call? and ?Maybe??are included here, but the rest is new material.

But, instead of making Secondhand Serenade?s music more appealing, the added production elements only seem to make it worse. Yes, it sounds smooth and radio-friendly?problem is, the music is already very smooth and radio-friendly to begin with. In fact, it?s hard to distinguish Vesely?s music from the scads of similar-sounding material currently riding the airwaves.

Intended recipient

Vesely does know how to sing, but not even the greatest pipes in the world can make this music sound original (unless they were, say, Tom Waits?). By the time the fifth song rolls in, his supposedly heartfelt crooning begins to sound whiny, and you start feeling sorry for the intended recipient of those songs.

According to the artist, this would be his wife. In fact, all his songs are for her, and we?re sort of eavesdropping on this one-sided musical conversation (hence the name Secondhand Serenade). Judging by the songs? lyrics, it?s a very up-and-down relationship, too. In one track, he sings, ?I?ll give up all that I have just to breathe the same air as you to the day that I die.? But, in another, he says, ?Please, let me be free from you.? It makes you wonder what her thoughts are on the matter.

What Secondhand Serenade needs to set it apart from the madding musical crowd is an edgier feel and more spice, instead of sweetness. Now that the sugar content has been further intensified, you end up with something that?s curiously soulless. The songs seem to blend into each other, and everything sounds like you?ve already heard it before.

If this were acoustic or more stripped down, maybe it would have sounded more real. As it is, though, ?A Twist In My Story? sounds like just another throwaway emo-pop record with slick production values and little heart.