Josh Groban he is not, but on his newest book and album, The Thing That Poets Write About, The Thing That Singers Sing About, poet Bradley Hathaway takes his talent for words and makes it sing. While his previous album (All the Hits So Far But Don’t Expect Too Much) featured spoken word - occasionally accompanied by music - this new recording features melody, harmony, and rhythm all beautifully intertwined. If you are a fan of Hathaway’s earlier, well-annunciated, witty-and-intelligent without being out-there-and-unintelligible style of slam poetry, don’t abandon ship just yet because you’ll still find lines that surprise, a story that inspires, and inward reflection that causes the listener to join in self-examination.

The album was recorded “in an abandoned house in the hills of Kentucky” and the musical arrangements have a timeless folk quality to them that gives the impression that some of the songs could be quite old – or quite new. The overall effect is very charming and the quality of lyrics makes up for what lacks in the area of vocal-beauty - though in the end, Hathaway’s vocals fit the music surprisingly well (and they are often bolstered by lovely harmony lines from other vocalists). The Thing That Poets Write About, The Thing That Singers Sing About follow the ups and downs of a relationship, and the songs “So Do I Love You” and “I Say What I Mean and I Mean What I Say” are irresistible declarations of love that should be in the collections of every hopeless romantic. The one-chord song “Simple Man” is a testimony that one needn’t be a brilliant musician to make brilliant music, while “Dakota” is a beautiful and bittersweet song that any person wondering what their romantic future holds will be able to relate to.

For more information on Bradley Hathaway check out www.thebradley.net or for all you myspacers out there: http://www.myspace.com/bradleyhathaway