Seven Days of Lonely - I Nine

Focus on "Seven Days of Lonely," the teenage girl-targeted song that wove its way through MTV's The Hills, and your impression of South Carolina's I Nine is bound to be all wrong. Singer Carmen Keigans' sweet, clear voice and babydoll-style confessions on that track aside, this is a band that rubs up against its share of hard edges -- would it have enlisted Chad Kroeger to produce a pair of tracks if it didn't? And though the pop/rock pouring out of the foursome is accessible -- probably too accessible for the taste of alt rock-types -- it's channeled in a direction that suggests substance. Satisfying twinges of '80-style Southern rock poke out of "Beckon" and "I'll Be There," and lead guitarist Bryan Gibson's cello, prominent on a couple of tracks, feels like something this band will continue to negotiate smartly. As debuts go, I Nine's is a mainstream charmer: bright, bold and bound for big things. ~ Tammy La Gorce, All Music Guide