Fans should have no worries that Touched will confuse Ken Stringfellow's more traditional, Big Star-loving, American audience as did 1998's This Sounds Like Goodbye, with its willingness to explore other strands of music. In Australia, where they like their pop 60s and full of light, fluffy, intoxicating melodies, this former Posies singer is hailed as a near relative of God. This collection of songs sees the Seattle heart-throb returning to the music he's best known for: acoustic Cheap Trick-style pop froth, with loads of tricky gentle harmonies and butter-wouldn't-melt vocals. Songs such as "Find Yourself Alone", and the upbeat "One Morning", are pure bubble gum, jangling guitars and boyish complexions at the ready. Notes linger in the sunshine, the odd blast of distorted guitar adds much-needed spice and Ken sounds as if he's fallen in love with music again for the very first time. This is consummately crafted stuff. --Everett True