 
On his rich, new collection of solo material, former Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips shows that he has matured well. Phillips was a mere Santa Barbara, Calif., teen-ager when he was with Sprocket, an alt-rock fave that had the hits “Walk on the Ocean” and “All I Want” in the early 1990s. He’s older and wiser now, and his introspective songs are flavored with bittersweet seasoning. For example, on his offbeat love song “Easier,” Phillips delivers the nervous lines “I’ve got everything I ever wanted here/Everything and then this constant fear/Sure I’m gonna lose it all/Just waiting for the other boot to fall.” The adult themes covered on the album agree with Phillips, who reminds us to be thankful for what we have. Although there are a couple of forgettable songs on “Winters Pays for Summer,” the overall collection is easy to enjoy. Phillips proves that he is still a folk-rocker at heart, an artist who values warm, catchy melodies and strong, literate lyrics. He’s joined on the CD by a who’s who list of alt-rock musicians, including ex-Jellyfish leader Andy Sturmer, Ben Folds, Jon Brion, Kristin Mooney and Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, who has co-writing credits on three songs. -- D. Kimura
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Glen Phillips