If you have an ear for melody and a weakness for crescendo, it's almost impossible not to be taken with Michael Lord. On his debut, Lord offers eleven well-crafted pop/rock songs suitable for any sophisticated listener. Written, performed, produced, recorded, arranged and engineered by Lord himself, Sway is an effective showcase for his talents.

As a classically-trained pianist, Lord uses his familiarity with the ivories to great effect here. Piano-laden tracks such as "Come to Me", "Forgiven" and "Charity" may earn Lord a place among easy listening fans, but don't be fooled -- when he pulls out the electric guitar, he can rock. In "Spin", "Holding My Breath" and "Home", we meet him amid a swirling maelstrom of effective power chords. Layers of sound give the album richness and depth, while Lord's vocals add a welcome smoothness.

Sway's strong suit may also be its weakness: Lord seems content to stick to tried and true pop/rock formulas. Familiar hooks, accessible melodies and that musical sucker-punch -- the aforementioned crescendo -- are here in spades. The resulting songs are catchy, but frankly, they'll move you in precisely the same way as countless other pop/rock songs utilizing exactly the same conventions. Sway may be a deliciously well-crafted album -- and an impressive debut -- but it's unlikely to set Lord apart from the crowd.