The first time I ever heard the music of Hayden was on MTV's 120 Minutes a few months back when they were debuting the video for "Bad As They Seem." I'm notorious for blowing things off within the first thirty seconds if they don't immediately grab my attention, so when I heard the line "She's only sixteen / That's why she's only a dream," that was it. I ignored the rest of the video. Not only was this guy corny and melodramic, but that line was downright bad.

When Hayden's debut CD arrived recently in my mailbox, my immediate thought was, "I think I know where this is heading." Only later, when I actually listened to the disc, did I realize how completely wrong I was.

Facing the honest truth, Hayden's hanging out on Prozac Avenue with a bunch of other sad people with sad lives making sad music. The thing that makes Hayden different from that set is that, while the music is always remarkably sad, ol' Hayde occasionally introduces a typically unwanted element: hope. And the sad kids over on Zoloft Street grunt collectively.

The album was recorded entirely on a four-track recorder with shockingly good sound quality (that's the advantage of mixing, I guess). I'll admit some of the lyrics are cheesy, but in a very sweet, innocent way. If it's your type of music -- and I know it's mine -- this record is everything you long for.

-Ryan Schreiber