Internet Music Radio, "Gone Fishing for Blue Skies", loves the world of Bill Budd. Personal favorite, "Again".

Budd writes 1980s inspired pop songs. He names Cyndi Lauper (he covers "Money Changes everything" live), Eurythmics, Ricki Lee Jones, Sandy Denny, Emmylou Harris and Natalie Merchant as influences-particularly Jones, who uses her squeaky voice as an asset in her jazzy pop songs. Budd admires her honest approach to what she does. He uses his strong theatre voice with pop and electronic backdrops, similar to David Gray's style but Budd's voice is stronger, and has more soul and is less gritty than Gray's. But Budd has a mandate to sound fresh.

Bill Budd's picture doesn't even appear on the cryptic cover of his debut CD, "And So Here...", nor does his face appear on the artwork on the CD's insert. Why? Maybe the singer-songwriter wanted to be judged only by the merits of his music, bringing his voice and lyrics rather than his youthful looks to the forefront. Not many artists would have the nerve to do this unless they had the talent and confidence to back it up. But immediately with "And So Here...", the CD's title track, the listener is seduced by Bill Budd's distinctive brand of pop music, a thoughtful, mutli-dimensional synergy of 80's-style new wave, folk, and electronica. It's low on pretense, high on emotion. And although Bill Budd's voice is bathed with sophisticated and high-tech-- yet light-as-air-- electronic effects throughout the CD, the real calling card here is Budd's voice and lyrics. Very rarely do we get to hear a voice as unblemished and as full of wide-eyed awe and innocence as Mr. Budd's. His lyrics, in addition, lead the listener to believe that the people, places, and situations that he sings about are based-- at least in part-- on real experiences (Although Budd himself has declared that fictitious themes play an important role in "And So Here...".) The juxtaposition of Budd's youthful voice with the sophistication and maturity of his lyrics and subject matters of which he sings results in a truly unique-- and often exhilirating-- effect. ...the best is truly yet to come from this young star.

The tunes are catchy and memorable, and Budd has a rich voice and a persuasive way with a lyric.